John Hosea Kerr (; December 31, 1873 – June 21, 1958) was an American jurist and politician who served 15 terms in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1923 to 1953.

Early life and education

Kerr was born in

Yanceyville Yanceyville is a town in, and the county seat of, Caswell County, North Carolina, United States. Located in the Piedmont Triad region of the state, it had a population of 1,937 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Established in 1791 as ...

Caswell County, North Carolina Caswell County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is located in the Piedmont Triad region of the state. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 22,736. Its county seat is Yancey ...

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 United States Census, 2010 census. Warrenton, now served by U.S. Route 158, U.S. routes 158 and U.S. Route 401 in North ...

. Kerr received his bachelor's degree from

Wake Forest University Wake Forest University (WFU) is a private research university in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, United States. Founded in 1834, the university received its name from its original location in Wake Forest, north of Raleigh, North Carolina. The R ...

and his law degree from

Wake Forest University School of Law Wake Forest University School of Law is the law school of Wake Forest University, a private research university in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Established in 1894, Wake Forest University School of Law is an American Bar Association (ABA) accred ...

Career

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.

Congress

Kerr was originally elected to 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 ...

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 largely due to his critiques of New Deal spending, believing that unchecked federal programs would result in economic stagnation.

Death

Kerr died on June 21, 1958 in Warrenton, North Carolina.

Legacy

Constructed between 1947 and 1953,

Kerr Lake The John H. Kerr Reservoir (often called Kerr Lake in North Carolina and Bugg's Island Lake in Virginia) is a reservoir along the border of the U.S. states of North Carolina and Virginia. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers constructed the John ...

, Kerr Lake State Recreation Area, and John H. Kerr Dam 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 The North Carolina General Assembly is the Bicameralism, bicameral legislature of the Government of North Carolina, state government of North Carolina. The legislature consists of two chambers: the North Carolina Senate, Senate and the North Ca ...

. His great uncle John Kerr also served in the United States House of Representatives.NCPedia-John Hosea Kerr
/ref>

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 Caswell County, North Carolina People from Warrenton, North Carolina Wake Forest University alumni Wake Forest University School of Law alumni 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives {{NorthCarolina-politician-stub