Montgomery P. Berry

Montgomery Pike Berry (c. 1828 — December 28, 1898) was a collector of customs for the United States Department of the Treasury, and from June 14, 1877 to August 13, 1877 was the highest-ranking federal official in the Department of Alaska, making him the de facto governor of the territory.[1]

Berry was born in Kentucky, and served in the Mexican-American War and the American Civil War, rising to the rank of Major. He was also sheriff of Grant County, Oregon and Superintendent of the Oregon State Penitentiary before President Ulysses S. Grant appointed him as collector of customs in March 1874. He lived in Sitka, Alaska until his death.[2]

References

1. http://www.worldstatesmen.org/US_states_A-D.html#Alaska
2. "New Notes from Sitka's Past". Daily Sitka Sentinel. Sitka, Alaska. December 14, 1990. p. 6.