 He gained election to the South Carolina Senate in 1844, but returned to the House of Representatives in 1849 and remained a member until 1860.As the secession movement was sweeping the state in the years prior to the Civil War, Perry founded "The Southern Patriot" in 1851 to counter and spread a unionist message.Even though Perry was adamantly against secession, he embraced the state when it did secede and rallied the residents in the Upstate in favor of the Confederate cause.