Perry was born in 1944. Perry earned his undergraduate degree in business administration and accounting from Saint Augustine's College in 1966. Perry served as a first lieutenant in the U.S. Army from 1966 to 1969.  After serving in the U.S. Army, he earned his J.D. from Columbia Law School in 1972. James E.C. Perry was a justice on the Florida Supreme Court. He was appointed to this position by then-Republican Governor Charlie Crist in March 2009 to fill the seat vacated by Charles Wells. Justice Perry retired in December 2016.