He was born in Ernestown, Upper Canada (now Bath, Ontario) in 1792, the son of Robert Perry and Jemima Gary Washburn.
In 1823, Perry took part in the protest against the removal of Marshall Spring Bidwell's name from the ballot in a by-election.
In 1824, with Bidwell, he was elected to the 9th Parliament of Upper Canada representing Lennox and Addington Counties; both remained in office until 1836.
After he was defeated in the election of 1836, he moved to Whitby, Ontario, where he established a general store and warehouses at the harbour on Windsor Bay.
Although he was not participating in politics himself at the time, he campaigned on behalf of James Edward Small and William Hume Blake in Whitby.