Perry, ex-Palm Beach Post publisher and inventor, dies at 89

<p>John Holliday Perry Jr., a former publisher of The Palm Beach Post, inventor and oceanic explorer, has died. He was 89.</p><p>Perry died Tuesday at a hospital in Gainesville, Ga., the Post reported.</p><p>His family's company, Perry Publications, once owned the Post and the Palm Beach Daily News. Among numerous accomplishments, Perry built submarines and invented newspaper equipment.</p><p>His company, Energy Partners, worked to advance the development of clean fuel for homes and vehicles using hydrogen.</p><p>President Lyndon Johnson appointed him to the U.S. Commission on Marine Sciences, Engineering and Resources, which later led to the creation of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.</p><p>"What John wanted for the world and for the U.S., and what he worked for, was a healthy economy, a world with renewable energy and no dependence on fossil fuels," said his wife, Helena Perry. "He worked for that his whole life."</p><p>Perry was born Jan. 2, 1917, in Seattle. His father, John H. Perry, served as general counsel to the Scripps-Howard newspaper chain and the forerunner of United Press International. The family moved to Tampa after World War I and to Palm Beach in 1925.</p><p>In 1969, Perry sold his family's 27 newspapers for a reported $75 million to Cox Enterprises.</p><p>He is survived by his wife, three sons, three daughters and several grandchildren.</p><p>___</p><p>HASH(0x1cd9ac4)</p>