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

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

. He was a justice of the

Wisconsin Supreme Court The Wisconsin Supreme Court is the highest appellate court in Wisconsin. The Supreme Court has jurisdiction over original actions, appeals from lower courts, and regulation or administration of the practice of law in Wisconsin. Location The Wi ...

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

Biography

Born in

Menasha, Wisconsin Menasha () is a city in Calumet and Winnebago counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 18,268 at the 2020 census. Of this, 15,144 were in Winnebago County, and 2,209 were in Calumet County. The city is located mostly in Win ...

, he attended the common schools and graduated from

Menasha High School Menasha High School is a public high school located in Menasha, Wisconsin, formally organized in 1875. Athletics Menasha's athletic teams are known as the Blue Jays, and compete in the Bay Conference. For many years, they held a football riv ...

. He studied at the

University of Wisconsin Law School The University of Wisconsin Law School is the professional graduate law school of the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Located in Madison, Wisconsin, the school was founded in 1868. The University of Wisconsin Law School is guided by a "law in ...

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

Neenah Neenah () is a city in Winnebago County, Wisconsin, Winnebago County, Wisconsin, in the East North Central States, north central United States. It is situated on the banks of Lake Winnebago, Little Lake Butte des Morts, and the Fox River (Wiscon ...

. He was elected

city attorney A city attorney is a position in city and municipal government in the United States. The city attorney is the attorney representing the municipality. Unlike a district attorney or public defender, who usually handles criminal cases, a city at ...

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 higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

in 1901 by Governor

Robert M. La Follette Robert Marion "Fighting Bob" La Follette Sr. (June 14, 1855June 18, 1925), was an American lawyer and politician. He represented Wisconsin in both chambers of Congress and served as the 20th Governor of Wisconsin. A Republican for most of his ...

. 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, who represented Wisconsin for 42 years in 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 house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

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 {{US-state-judge-stub