The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1917-08-02
Head Of Chamber Of Commerce and
Well Known Publisher Passed
Away Yesterday
Morning.
LEAVES FINE RECORD
Judge Perry's Demise Was Due to =
Weak Heart and over Exertion
During Heated
Term.

! Quincy Herald: Judge Cicero F.
Perry is dead.
With terrible suddenness this news
was flashed throughout Quincy Just
| before the noon hour today. He who
knew more men in Quincy than any
other man, had passed away without
even ten persons In Quincy knowing
of his illness. He who for almost
of Quincy's business organization had
died without giving up even for a
day his work Of advancing the inter
ests of the city.
Died Sitting In Chair.
| Death came to Cicero F. Perry at
II o'clock as he sat in his chair in
the living room of his home, $40
York street. Death found him just
as such a man as he would have
wished-in the business harness.
| At 1890 o'clock this morning
Cicero F. Perry was attending to
Chamber Of Commerce business. At
that hour his secretary, Miss Bertha
Michaels, called him up at his home
and read to him a letter she had
written concerning the new bridge
at Taylor. Mr.. Perry heard the let
ter through, commented on it favor
ably and approved 1t, instructing
Miss Michaels to sign his name to
1t. This was his last official act and
was fitting close to an active life.
He left his office in the Chamber of
Commerce building for the last time
Monday evening. Yesterday forenoon
Mrs. Perry told Miss Michaels over
the phone that Mr.. Perry was ailing
somewhat and would not be at the
Office during the day. Yesterday
afternoon he attended to business
matters at his home which Miss
Michaels took there to discuss with
him, and get instructions. He was
! thus literally at work without any
real break in his activities almost till
the moment that death laid its heavy
hand upon him.
Heat and Weak Heart.
Judge Perry had not been sick, but
for some time his friends saw that
he had been falling. The heat was
especially oppressive to him. He had
complained to Miss Michaels that
the heat was getting the better of
him and in the recent hot spell he
suffered terribly. Monday particu-
larly ne told Of the effect which the
heat was having upon him. He
worked right through until 6 o'clock
that evening, however. Yesterday,
as was told in the foregoing, he was
compelled to remain at home. but he
attended to the business of his office
over the telephone and by personal
conversations with his secretary.
Cicero F. Perry was a native OF
Sangamon county and was born
near Springfield, January %, 1855,
being therefore past IS years old
when death called him. Hts youth
was spent in Hancock and Melon
ough counties and on July Is, 1880,
he was united in marriage with Re-
hecea K. Morey and SOFA afterwards
they moved from Colchester to
| Quincy, where for several years Mr.
Perry was employed as telegraph
operator and assistant train dis
patcher for railroads entering this
city.
In 1884 the call of the far west
appealed 50 strongly to Mr.. and Mrs.
Perry that they went to California
and took up their residence there,
but home ties were strongest, and
the next year they came back to
Quincy and nave resided mere con-
| tinuously since that time.
Positions Of public and semi-public
nature came natural to Judge Perry
He was . man whom the public
realized, unoonsciously, could be
trusted with public affairs-a faith
full steward who would return a good
and straightforward and accurate ac-
count Of his stewardship. From
1886 until 1891 he was police magis
trate of the city Of Quincy, and
then he took up newspaper work
with the Quincy Journal and was
oity editor Of that newspaper for
several years. In the fall of 1903 he
bought the Quincy Optic, landmark
in newspaper business in Quincy. and
conducted 1t until his duties as Sec
Rotary Of the Chacber Of Commerce
required all OF his time and atten-
ton, and he was compelled to sus-
pend publication Of the Optic For
the past nine years he has served
the city and the public as secretary
of the Chamber Of Commerce. and
his record in that Office is an open
book that any man may read with