American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, p ...
mining engineer.
He graduated
Lehigh University
Lehigh University (LU), in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, United States, is a private university, private research university. The university was established in 1865 by businessman Asa Packer. Lehigh University's undergraduate programs have been mixed ...
in 1884. He worked for
Carnegie Steel
Carnegie Steel Company was a steel-producing company primarily created by Andrew Carnegie and several close associates to manage businesses at steel mills in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area in the late 19th century. The company was formed in ...
, and its successor,
U.S. Steel
The United States Steel Corporation is an American steel company based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It maintains production facilities at several additional locations in the U.S. and Central Europe.
The company produces and sells steel products, ...
, for his entire working life. He rose from lab technician to Vice President.
Kerr is considered influential because, in 1880, he was sent to
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...
, to study and bring back, techniques for preparing ''"
spiegeleisen
Spiegeleisen (literally "mirror-iron", —mirror or specular; —iron) is a ferromanganese alloy containing approximately 15% manganese and small quantities of carbon and silicon. Spiegeleisen is sometimes also referred to as ''specular pig iron' ...
"'', a key ingredient in newly developed Swedish steels.
US Steel made him its Vice President in charge of the production and distribution of ore, limestone and coal, in 1909. He retained that position until 1932, when he retired.
Legacy
His alma mater, Lehigh University, granted him an honorary degree, in 1933.
In 1903 a
lake freighter
Lake freighters, or lakers, are bulk carriers operating on the Great Lakes of North America. These vessels are traditionally called boats, although classified as ships. Freighters typically have a long, narrow hull, a raised pilothouse, and the ...
was named the ''D.G. Kerr''. When it was sold, and renamed, a second vessel, was commissioned the ''D.G. Kerr'', in 1916.