John Hosea Kerr (; December 31, 1873 – June 21, 1958) was an American jurist and politician.

Background

Kerr was born in Yanceyville,

Caswell County, North Carolina Caswell County is a county in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is located in the Piedmont Triad region of the state. At the 2020 census, the population was 22,736. Its county seat is Yanceyville. Partially bordering the state of Virginia, ...

but lived most of his life in

Warrenton, North Carolina Warrenton is a town in, and the county seat of, Warren County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 862 at the 2010 census. Warrenton, now served by U.S. routes 158 and 401, was founded in 1779. It became one of the wealthiest towns ...

. Kerr received his bachelor's degree from

Wake Forest University Wake Forest University is a private research university in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Founded in 1834, the university received its name from its original location in Wake Forest, north of Raleigh, North Carolina. The Reynolda Campus, the un ...

and his law degree from

Wake Forest University School of Law The Wake Forest University School of Law is one of the professional graduate schools of Wake Forest University. Located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Wake Forest University School of Law is a private American Bar Association (ABA) accredite ...

. In 1895, Kerr started his law practice in Warrenton, North Carolina. He served as town attorney and then as mayor of Warrenton in 1897 and 1898. In 1905, Kerr served as solicitor and then from 1916 to 1923, Kerr served as superior court judge. Kerr was originally elected to the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

in a special election to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Claude Kitchin in 1923. He lost a bid for re-election in the 1952 Democratic Party primary to

Lawrence H. Fountain Lawrence H. Fountain (April 23, 1913 – October 10, 2002) was a Democratic U.S. representative from North Carolina from 1953 to 1983. Early life Fountain was educated in the public schools of Edgecombe County and at the University of North ...

. Constructed between 1947 and 1953,

Kerr Lake Kerr Lake /kɑr/ (officially John H. Kerr Reservoir, also known as Bugg's Island Lake) is a reservoir along the border of the U.S. states of North Carolina and Virginia. It is impounded by the John H. Kerr Dam, constructed between 1947 and 1952 ...

Kerr Lake State Recreation Area Kerr Lake State Recreation Area is a North Carolina state park in Vance and Warren counties, North Carolina, in the United States. Located north of Henderson near the North Carolina-Virginia border, it includes of woodlands along the shores of ...

, and

John H. Kerr Dam John H. Kerr Dam is concrete gravity- dam located on the Roanoke River in Virginia, creating Kerr Lake. The dam was built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers between 1947 and 1953 for the purposes of flood control, and hydropower. The dam also serv ...

is named after him deriving from his instrumental efforts towards the project. Kerr's son, John H. Kerr, Jr., and grandson, John H. Kerr, III, both served in the North Carolina General Assembly. His great uncle John Kerr also served in the United States House of Representatives.NCPedia-John Hosea Kerr
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References

External links

Congressional Biography

North Carolina Historical Marker
1873 births 1958 deaths North Carolina state court judges Mayors of places in North Carolina Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from North Carolina People from Yanceyville, North Carolina People from Warrenton, North Carolina Wake Forest University alumni Wake Forest University School of Law alumni {{NorthCarolina-politician-stub