Former lawmaker John M. Berry dies

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) – John M. Berry Jr., a Henry County lawyer and former state senator, has died at his home in Henry County. He was 81.

His brother, author and poet Wendell Berry, says John Berry had been battling heart problems. He told The Courier-Journal his brother was “capable, he was upright, he was considerate.”

John Berry served in the state Senate from 1973 to 1981, and became known for advocating for the legislature’s independence from the governor’s office. Former Senate colleague Michael R. Moloney told The Lexington Herald-Leader that John Berry led a group of legislators who “would not just take a lot of bills from the governor and automatically accept them.”

Berry died on Thursday. Funeral services will be Monday at the Family Worship Center in Carrollton.

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Information from: The Courier-Journal, http://www.courier-journal.com

Copyright 2016 The Associated Press.