Cary was born Luther Harvey Cary in Erie County, New York, in 1824. During the American Civil War, he served in the Union Army.[1] He died on September 16, 1888, in Oakland, California.
Cary was a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly in 1855 and again in 1867. From 1861 to 1862, he was a member of the Wisconsin State Senate. Cary later served in the California State Assembly from 1883 to 1885. He was also a delegate to the 1864 Republican National Convention.[2]