Interview with John Marshall Berry, Jr., July 24, 2006
Project: Kentucky Legislature Oral History Project
Interview Summary
Berry (Senate, 1972-1980, 26th district; Democrat) talks about his family and growing up in a farming community. He discusses in great detail the evolution of tobacco farming in Kentucky in the 20th century, including the establishment of the Burley Tobacco Growers Cooperative Association, the impact of the Agricultural Adjustment Administration, the increased importation of foreign tobacco, the tobacco buyout, the impact of the health lobby, and efforts to help tobacco farmers diversify their crops and interests. Berry reflects on how growing up on a farm affected his work ethic, the changes rural communities have undergone in the last century, his parents' influence on his education, his decision to practice law, World War II, the Korean War, Vietnam, the Gulf War, the war in Iraq, and the expansion of the power of the executive branch. Berry recounts one of his most memorable court cases in which he defended a black member of his community in the early 1960s against a dentist who refused to treat his client. The interview concludes with Berry recounting how he became interested in politics, and highlighting his first campaign for office. Part 2 of 3.Interview Accession
Interviewee Name
Interviewer Name
Interview Date
Interview LC Subject
Berry, John Marshall, Jr., 1935-2016 Berry, John Marshall, Jr., 1935-2016--Interviews Bracken County (Ky.) Breathitt, Edward T., Jr., 1924-2003 Burley Tobacco Growers Cooperative Association Bush, George W., (George Walker), 1946- Carroll County (Ky.) Community Farm Alliance Discrimination--Law and legislation--Kentucky Environmentalism Gallatin County (Ky.) Grant County (Ky.) Henry County (Ky.) Iraq War, 2003-2011 Jefferson County (Ky.) Korean War, 1950-1953 Legislators--Kentucky--Interviews Oldham County (Ky.) Owen County (Ky.) Pendleton County (Ky.) Persian Gulf War, 1991 Political campaigns--Kentucky Tobacco farms--Kentucky Tobacco industry Tobacco industry--Law and legislation--Kentucky Trimble County (Ky.) Vietnam War, 1961-1975 War and society Work ethic World War, 1939-1945Interview Rights
All rights to the interviews, including but not restricted to legal title, copyrights and literary property rights, have been transferred to the University of Kentucky Libraries.Interview Usage
Interviews may be reproduced with permission from Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, Special Collections, University of Kentucky Libraries.Restriction
Interviews may be reproduced with permission from Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, Special Collections, University of Kentucky Libraries.
All rights to the interviews, including but not restricted to legal title, copyrights and literary property rights, have been transferred to the University of Kentucky Libraries.
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Berry, John Marshall, Jr. Interview by Roy Salmons. 24 Jul. 2006. Lexington, KY: Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries.
Berry, J.M., Jr. (2006, July 24). Interview by R. Salmons. Kentucky Legislature Oral History Project. Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries, Lexington.
Berry, John Marshall, Jr., interview by Roy Salmons. July 24, 2006, Kentucky Legislature Oral History Project, Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries.
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