E. Y. Berry Congressional Papers

E. Y. (Ellis Yarnal) Berry served in the United States House of Representatives from 1951 to 1971. He represented South Dakota's 2nd district which encompassed West River, South Dakota. He served on the House Interior and Insular Committee, as well as the Foreign Affairs Committee. He worked to pass legislation to help farmers and for the betterment of conditions for Native Americans. His twenty-year tenure in the position made him the longest-serving Congressperson from South Dakota.

He was born in Larchwood, Iowa, October 6, 1902. His family moved to Saskatchewan to homestead, but returned to Iowa, then later moved to Philip, South Dakota, where they operated a dairy. Berry graduated from Philip High School in 1919. He attended Morningside College in Sioux City, Iowa, and later the University of South Dakota Law School, from which he graduated in 1927. He married country school teacher, Rose Hartinger on March 4th, 1928. They had two children.

Berry worked as an attorney in Kennebec, then in 1929 established a law practice in McLaughlin. He was civic-minded and served in a number of capacities: state's attorney of Corson County, mayor of McLaughlin, and judge of probate court in Corson County. He was elected to the South Dakota Senate, serving two terms from 1938-1942, representing Corson, Dewey, and Ziebach Counties. He then served as legislative assistant to the Governor in 1943. From 1940-1943 he worked on planning for water development projects in the Missouri River region as a member of the Missouri River States Committee. His next major role was helping to oversee South Dakota's public college and university system when he was appointed to the South Dakota Board of Regents in 1947. He resigned upon being elected to the U.S. House.

Outside of politics and the law, Berry was the publisher of three newspapers: the McLaughlin Messenger, Corson County News, and Morristown World.

Upon his retirement from Congress in 1971, he and his wife returned to their Black Hills home in Hisega and he donated his congressional papers to the library at Black Hills State College, now Black Hills State University. He and Rose lived in Hisega until 1993, when they moved to Westhills Village Retirement Home in Rapid City. He died April 1, 1999, at the age of 96, following a stroke. Rose preceded him in death by two months. They are buried in Mountain View Cemetery in Rapid City, South Dakota.