author
Perry Newberry
1870–1938
A journalist, novelist, and man of the theater, this early California writer brought adventure stories and stage energy to everything he touched. His life also helped shape the artistic character of Carmel-by-the-Sea in the early 1900s.
1 Audiobook
The Million-Dollar Suitcase
by Alice MacGowan, Perry Newberry
About the author
Born in Union City, Michigan, in 1870, Perry Harmon Newberry built a varied career as a journalist, writer, actor, and producer. After working in Chicago and in San Francisco journalism, he moved to Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, in 1910, where he became an active part of the town's growing arts scene.
Newberry wrote fiction as well as plays, with works including Castaway Island and Black Boulder Claim. His interests reached beyond the page: he was involved in theater work in Carmel and also served as editor and publisher of the Carmel Pine Cone.
He was closely tied to civic life as well, serving as the fifth mayor of Carmel-by-the-Sea. That mix of storytelling, performance, publishing, and public service makes him an especially vivid figure from the era when California's coastal arts communities were taking shape.