James Charles Kerwin (May 14, 1850 – January 29, 1921) was an American lawyer and judge from

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

. He was a justice of the

Wisconsin Supreme Court The Wisconsin Supreme Court is the Supreme court, highest and final court of appeals in the state judicial system of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. In addition to hearing appeals of lower Wisconsin court decisions, the Wisconsin Supreme Court also ...

for the last 16 years of his life (1905–1921).

Biography

Born in

Menasha, Wisconsin Menasha () is a city in Winnebago County, Wisconsin, Winnebago and Calumet County, Wisconsin, Calumet counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 18,268 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Of this, 15,144 were in Winn ...

, he attended the common schools and graduated from Menasha High School. He studied at the

University of Wisconsin Law School The University of Wisconsin Law School is the Law school in the United States, law school of the University of Wisconsin–Madison, a Public university, public research university in Madison, Wisconsin. Founded in 1868, the school is guided by a ...

and, after his graduation in 1875, returned to Winnebago County, starting a law practice at

Neenah Neenah ( ) is a city in Winnebago County, Wisconsin, United States. It is situated on the banks of Lake Winnebago, Little Lake Butte des Morts, and the Fox River approximately northeast of Oshkosh and southwest of Green Bay. Neenah's popul ...

. He was elected city attorney of Neenah, and served in that role for 12 years and was appointed to the

University of Wisconsin Board of Regents A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Univ ...

in 1901 by Governor

Robert M. La Follette Robert Marion La Follette Sr. (June 14, 1855June 18, 1925), nicknamed "Fighting Bob," was an American lawyer and politician. He represented Wisconsin in both chambers of Congress and served as the 20th governor of Wisconsin from 1901 to 1906. ...

. In 1904, he was elected to the

, taking office in January 1905. He was re-elected in 1914 and served until his death in 1921. He died unexpectedly at his home in Madison.

Personal life and family

Kerwin married Helen Lawson in 1877. They had four daughters.

Jim Sensenbrenner Frank James Sensenbrenner Jr. (; born June 14, 1943) is an American politician who represented in the United States House of Representatives from 1979 to 2021 (numbered as the 9th district until 2003). He is a member of the Republican Party. ...

, who represented Wisconsin for 42 years in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

is the great-grandson of Justice Kerwin through his daughter, Grace, who married John Stilp Sensenbrenner of Neenah.

References

People from Menasha, Wisconsin University of Wisconsin Law School alumni Justices of the Wisconsin Supreme Court 1850 births 1921 deaths {{Wisconsin-state-judge-stub