Jack Swift Berry was born on January 9, 1887, in Tecumseh, Nebraska. Both his parents died young, so a grandmother raised Berry and his brother. In 1903, Berry worked as a logger in Black Hills, South Dakota. In 1906, he studied at the Biltmore Forest School in North Carolina; in 1907, he obtained a degree as Forester.
Career
Forestry
In July 1907, he entered the United States Forestry Service in Washington, DC, as a forest assistant. In 1908, he was transferred successively to: Holy Cross National Forest in Glenwood, Colorado, Arapaho National Forest in Sulphur Springs, Colorado, and the newly created District 5, headquartered in San Francisco, California, where he worked in timber sales. He earned an advance degree from the Biltmore Forest School, in part due to a thesis on logging and lumber flumes in California. In 1912, he became Forest Examiner and in 1916 became Logging Engineer District 5.
In September 1919, he became a forest valuation engineer for the California pine and redwood region at the United States Bureau of Internal Revenue, based in San Francisco. In 1921, he worked as a forest engineer for a small company. In 1923, he served as secretary of the California Forest Protective Association. His 1921 study in forestry received recognition from the California State Board of Forestry in 1923.
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 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.
Banking
In 1953, Berry became the first president of the newly formed Mother Lode Bank of Placerville, whose co-founders included Lloyd Raffetto. He remained president through 1962 when, due to a stroke, he retired.
In 1912, Berry married Cecile Ball. They had three children named Jack, William, and Betty Lou. By 1930, they had divorced. Later, Berry married Florence B. Berry. Berry served as president of the Western Pine Association of Portland, Oregon, from 1939 through 1940 and of the Pacific division of the National Association of Wooden Box Shook Makers. Berry was a long-time member of E Clampus Vitus and the California State Board of Forestry. Swift Berry died age 80 on June 27, 1967, in Placerville. The California State Senate passed Senate Resolution No. 315 of 1967 to commemorate the life and service of J. Swift Berry. Grandson Phil Berry was a trust lawyer in Placerville.
Awards and legacy
1962: Plaque to "Swift Berry: 'Mr. Clamper'... 'A Man to Match Our Mountains'" by E Clampus Vitus in Berry Park, Placerville
Bell of Shay Locomotive Number 8, presented to Berry, now donated to the Sierra Nevada Logging Museum and located at "Eight Spot"
