James Kerr (September 24, 1790 – December 23, 1850) was a doctor,
politician
A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...
, Senator in
Missouri
Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...
, soldier, surveyor and Congressman in
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
who was active in the establishment of the
Republic of Texas
The Republic of Texas ( es, República de Tejas) was a sovereign state in North America that existed from March 2, 1836, to February 19, 1846, that bordered Mexico, the Republic of the Rio Grande in 1840 (another breakaway republic from Mex ...
.
Early life and family
Kerr was born near
Danville,
Kentucky
Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...
, the son of a
Baptist
Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only (believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compete ...
minister. Reared in Missouri, Kerr fought in the
War of 1812
The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...
and was later
sheriff
A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland that is commonly transla ...
of
St. Charles County, Missouri. In 1818, he married Angeline Caldwell, the daughter of
James Caldwell James or Jim Caldwell may refer to:
Politics
* James Caldwell (Ohio politician) (1770–1838), U.S. Representative from Ohio, son on James Caldwell (1724–1804), an Irish emigrant who founded Wheeling, West Virginia
* James Caldwell (Missouri spe ...
, Missouri's first
House Speaker
The speaker of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body, is its presiding officer, or the chair. The title was first used in 1377 in England.
Usage
The title was first recorded in 1377 to describe the role of Thomas de Hungerfo ...
.
Kerr served in the
Missouri House of Representatives during its first two terms after statehood. In 1824 he defeated his father-in-law in a race for the
Missouri State Senate. He served a single term in the body.
Career in Texas
Kerr was appointed Surveyor General of the Texas colony of Green DeWitt in 1825. With his wife, three children and several slaves, he joined
Stephen F. Austin's "
Old Three Hundred" colony in
Brazoria. In August 1825, he set out to select a site for the
Dewitt Colony. Kerr named the community
Gonzales Gonzales may refer to:
Places
* Gonzales, California, U.S.
* Gonzales, Louisiana, U.S.
* Gonzales, Texas, U.S.
* Gonzales County, Texas
Other uses
* Battle of Gonzales, 1835
* Gonzales (horse) (1977 – after 1996), an American-bred Thoroughbred ...
in honor of the governor of the
Mexican state
The states of Mexico are first-level administrative territorial entities of the country of Mexico, which is officially named Mexico, United Mexican States. There are 32 federal entities in Mexico (31 states and the capital, Mexico City, as a sepa ...
of
Coahuila
Coahuila (), formally Coahuila de Zaragoza (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Coahuila de Zaragoza ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Coahuila de Zaragoza), is one of the 32 states of Mexico.
Coahuila borders the Mexican states of N ...
.
By this time, Angeline Kerr and two of the children had died. Kerr was active in area politics and law enforcement during the formative years of the Texas Republic. He acted as attorney and surveyor for
Benjamin Rush Milam
Benjamin Rush "Ben" Milam (October 20, 1788 – December 7, 1835) was an American colonist of Mexican Texas and a military leader and hero of the Texas Revolution. A native of what is now Kentucky, Milam fought beside American interests during t ...
in 1827. He negotiated for peace before the
Fredonian Rebellion, signed a treaty with the
Karankawa Indians, and fought other tribes. In 1832, he was the delegate from
Port Lavaca
Port Lavaca () is a city in Calhoun County, located in the U.S. state of Texas. The population was 12,248 at the 2010 census and 11,557 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Calhoun County and part of the Victoria, Texas Metropolitan Statis ...
at the Convention at
San Felipe de Austin northwest of
Houston
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...
. He also served as a member of the
Second
The second (symbol: s) is the unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), historically defined as of a day – this factor derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes and finally to 60 seconds ...
and
Third conventions. In 1834, Kerr married the former Sarah Fulton.
He became a major in the
Texas Rangers in 1835 and in the army of the Texas Republic in 1836. He participated in the
Battle of Lipantitlán
The Battle of Lipantitlán, also known as the Battle of Nueces Crossing,Groneman (1998), p. 37. was fought along the Nueces River on November 4, 1835 between the Mexican Army and Texian insurgents, as part of the Texas Revolution. After the Tex ...
on November 4, 1835.
He was elected to the Third Texas Congress in 1838, where he represented Jackson County in the Texas House.
Kerr's later years were spent practicing medicine in
Jackson County west of Houston.
[Historical marker, Texas Historical Commission, 2000, ]Kerr County
Kerr County is a County (United States), county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, its population was 52,598. Its county seat is Kerrville, Texas, Kerrville. The county wa ...
Courthouse, Kerrville
Kerrville is a city in, and the county seat of, Kerr County, Texas, United States. The population of Kerrville was 24,278 at the 2020 census. Kerrville is named after James Kerr, a major in the Texas Revolution, and friend of settler- ...
, Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
Legacy
In 1856, pioneer
Joshua Brown gave the land that became the
Kerrville
Kerrville is a city in, and the county seat of, Kerr County, Texas, United States. The population of Kerrville was 24,278 at the 2020 census. Kerrville is named after James Kerr, a major in the Texas Revolution, and friend of settler- ...
townsite and named it "Kerrville" for his long-time friend, James Kerr, who had died six years earlier.
See also
*
List of Convention of 1832 delegates The Convention of 1832 was the first political gathering of colonists in Mexican Texas.
On August 22, the ''ayuntiamento'' (city council) at San Felipe de Austin (the capital of Austin's colony) called for each district to elect five delegates.Gamm ...
References
External links
James Kerr's entryin th
Biographical Encyclopedia of Texashosted by th
Portal to Texas History
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kerr, James
1790 births
1850 deaths
Convention of 1832 delegates
Members of the Missouri House of Representatives
Members of the Texas Legislature
Members of the Texas Ranger Division
Politicians from Danville, Kentucky
People from Brazoria County, Texas
Missouri state senators
Missouri sheriffs
American military personnel of the War of 1812
Kerr County, Texas