Gerry, Elbridge Thomas

Gerry, Elbridge Thomas, 1837–1927, American reformer, b. New York City; grandson of Elbridge Gerry. Admitted (1860) to the New York bar, he came to be adviser to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and soon afterward became interested in child welfare. In 1875 he founded, with the help of Henry Bergh, the New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (called sometimes the Gerry Society). He ultimately devoted most of his attention to this cause, though he retained his interest in other humanitarian movements.