Harry C. Perry, Jr., Katherine Anne Porter's first accountant in Washington, D. C., was born in Frederick, Maryland, on February 20, 1919. He was the second of thirteen children born to Nannie Frances (Bentz) and Harry Clay Perry, Sr. During the Depression, the Perry family moved from Frederick to Gaithersburg, Maryland.
Mr. Perry received his Master of Commercial Science degree in 1954 from Benjamin Franklin University, where he also earned his bachelor's degree. He worked in Washington, D. C., as an accountant for Malin and Dery, Public Accountants, from 1951 until 1962, when he was named a partner in the firm. He and his wife, Violet Fern Caldwell, have two children, Harry Clay III and Judith Suzanne. He has three grandchildren and continues to work in the District of Columbia as the surviving member of the Malin, Dery, and Perry accounting firm.
Mr. Perry became Katherine Anne Porter's accountant in 1960 through the agency of a mutual friend, John Prince. Mr. Perry acted as Porter's accountant from 1960 until 1964. He prepared and filed her federal and District of Columbia tax returns from 1959 until 1962. The final return, for 1962, was filed during Porter's 1963 residence in Europe.
From the guide to the Harry C. Perry, Jr. papers, 1958-1966, 1959-1964, (Literature and Rare Books)
