page_title: Swift Berry
section_title: California State Senate
hierarchical_section_title: Swift Berry / Career / California State Senate
caption_attribution_description: American River — running through the El Dorado hills. In El Dorado County, Northern California
context_page_description: Jack Swift Berry, known as Swift Berry, was a forestry expert and lumberman and then two-term member of the California State Legislature from the Republican Party.
context_section_description: In 1952, Berry started service as State Senator from the then 9th District comprising El Dorado and Amador counties through 1960. He served as chairman of the Natural Resources Committee.  With Placerville mayor Sandy Murray, he championed the building of U.S. Route 50 in California (US 50) and the Marshall Hospital in Placerville. On November 4, 1952, Berry won a seat as both Republican and Democratic party candidate.  On November 6, 1956, he won again.  On November 8, 1960, he lost and did not run again.  During his first term, Berry went to the hospital to recover from a serious illness:  the California State Senate passed Senate Resolution No. 17 of 1952 to "wish him a speedy and complete recovery."  During his second term in 1957, he opposed a $157,000 "feasibility study" on the Stumpy Meadows reservoir and thus against an $85 million project on the Upper American River by the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD).
caption: South Fork American River running through El Dorado hills, which formed part of Berry's senate district
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