James Kirkpatrick Kerr (1 August 1841 – 4 December 1916) was a
Canadian lawyer and Senator. He served as
Speaker of the Senate of Canada during the 11th Parliament from 14 January 1909 to 22 October 1911.
Kerr was born in
Guelph in what was then Canada West in the
Province of Canada. He was called to the bar of
Upper Canada in 1862 and began a legal partnership with
Edward Blake,
Samuel Blake and
James Bethune
James Bethune (July 7, 1840 – December 18, 1884) was an Ontario lawyer and political figure. He represented Stormont in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as a Liberal member from 1872 to 1879.
He was born in Glengarry County in Upper C ...
. He became head, in 1884, of the legal firm of Kerr, Davidson, Paterson and Grant.
In his career, Kerr argued several cases before the
Judicial Committee of the Privy Council and was elected a Bencher of the
Law Society of Upper Canada in 1879.
He was an active
Liberal and stood unsuccessfully for election to the
House of Commons of Canada
The House of Commons of Canada (french: Chambre des communes du Canada) is the lower house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Crown and the Senate of Canada, they comprise the bicameral legislature of Canada.
The House of Common ...
in
1891
Events
January–March
* January 1
** Paying of old age pensions begins in Germany.
** A strike of 500 Hungarian steel workers occurs; 3,000 men are out of work as a consequence.
**Germany takes formal possession of its new Africa ...
from
Toronto Centre.
He became president of the Ontario Liberal Association in 1892 and was appointed to the
Senate of Canada
The Senate of Canada (french: region=CA, Sénat du Canada) is the upper house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Crown and the House of Commons, they comprise the bicameral legislature of Canada.
The Senate is modelled after the B ...
on 12 March 1903. He was appointed Speaker of that body six years later.
Kerr was also an active
Mason
Mason may refer to:
Occupations
* Mason, brick mason, or bricklayer, a craftsman who lays bricks to construct brickwork, or who lays any combination of stones, bricks, cinder blocks, or similar pieces
* Stone mason, a craftsman in the stone-cut ...
and was Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Canada from 1875 to 1877.
He was also active in commerce and sat on several
boards of directors including the Canadian General Electric Company. He was one of the founders of
Havergal College.
As a former
Speaker of the Senate of Canada James Kerr was given membership in the
Queen's Privy Council for Canada in 1911.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kerr, James Kirkpatric
1841 births
1916 deaths
Canadian senators from Ontario
Candidates in the 1891 Canadian federal election
Liberal Party of Canada senators
Lawyers in Ontario
Members of the King's Privy Council for Canada
Speakers of the Senate of Canada
Liberal Party of Canada candidates for the Canadian House of Commons