Thomas Sergeant Perry was born in Rhode Island. After graduation from Harvard (1866) went with William James to study in Germany, returning to become a tutor in French and German at Harvard (1868–72), member of The North American Review staff (1872–77), and a member of the department of English at Harvard (1877–82).

In his critical writings for various magazines, including The Nation and the Atlantic Monthly, he showed his interest in realism and his knowledge of contemporary foreign literature, and through his brilliant conversations with his friends Howells and Henry James is said to have introduced them to Turgenev and influenced their theories on the novel.

Perry was a great student of languages and in addition to translating from foreign literature he became acquainted with many foreign authors during his travels, and on one journey served as professor of English at the University of Keiogijiku in Japan (1898–1901). Perry's Letters was edited by his friend E.A. Robinson in 1929.