Charles Kern (April 18, 1831 – January 25, 1896) was a Democratic politician in

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who served as the Sheriff of Cook County from 1872 to 1878.

Biography

Born in Rhenish Bavaria, Kern immigrated to the United States and worked in the hotel industry. He was unexpectedly elected Sheriff of the heavily

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

Vigo County, Indiana Vigo County ( ) is a county on the western border of the U.S. state of Indiana. According to the 2020 United States Census, it had a population of 105,994 . Its county seat is Terre Haute. Vigo County is included in the Terre Haute metropolita ...

in 1862 on the Democratic ticket, and held office until 1864. He then briefly relocated to

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

, where he managed the Galt House Hotel until he moved to

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in 1865 to open a restaurant. Active in Chicago politics, he was the unanimously chosen Democratic nominee for Cook County Sheriff in 1868, 1870, 1872, and 1876 elections, the last two of which he won. He served two terms as Sheriff before losing in the 1878 election. He served as President of the Cook County Democratic Club, the Illinois State Sportsmen's Association, the Prairie Shooting Club, and the Audubon Club. Kern's tenure as Cook County Sheriff was marked by allegations of corruption, and he was said to have arranged to cut the per diem cost of food per prisoner by ten cents and pocketed the difference. Kern was never indicted for corruption, however.

References

1831 births 1896 deaths Illinois Democrats 19th-century American politicians Sheriffs of Cook County, Illinois {{Illinois-politician-stub