E. Y. Berry served as South Dakota's western district congressman from 1951 - 1971. Born October 6, 1902 in Larchwood, Iowa, Berry grew up near Philip, South Dakota. He graduated from the University of South Dakota Law School in 1927, and established his first law practice in Kennebec. In 1929, he and his wife Rose Hartinger Berry moved to McLaughlin where he continued to practice law.

In addition to his law practice Congressman Berry served two terms in the State Senate, four years on the South Dakota Board of Regents, as well as terms as States Attorney, County Judge, City Mayor, and County Chairman of the Republican Party. In 1936, he became a newspaper editor when he purchased the McLaughlin Messenger. He later became editor of the Bar Association Journal and was elected President of the South Dakota Press Association.

In 1950, when Francis Case announced he would run for Senate, Berry decided to run for the House of Representatives. He was elected to what would become the first of many terms. When Berry retired from Congress in 1971, he donated his papers to Black Hills State University. BHSU's library-learning center is named for Congressman Berry.

The Berry Collection is organized by subject and comprises more than 500 boxes of manuscript materials and can be searched online. The finding aids for the Berry Collection are located in Special Collections, Room 205. They will be placed on the Berry homepage as staff and time allow. The current finding aids are divided into the following categories:

- Departmental
- Indian
- Jobs
- Legislation
- Military Academy Appointments
- Miscellaneous
- Post Offices
- Public Relations
- Reference Materials
- Special