During World War II, Perlman served with distinction in the European Theater as an artillery officer with the United States Army 63rd Infantry Division.

While stationed at Camp Van Dorn in Mississippi, he met and subsequently married the former Carol Herzberg, who was also Jewish.

[1] In 1988, Perlman became the special assistant for finance under Governors Buddy Roemer, Edwin Edwards, and Murphy J.

In 1997, Foster appointed Perlman secretary of the Louisiana Gaming Control Board, a position that he held for five years.

"[3] Son Gerald Lee "Jerry" Perlman (born c. 1947) of Shreveport, Louisiana, described his father as "very detail-oriented, and he always had all the facts at his fingertips.