John Kerr Jr. (February 10, 1811 – September 5, 1879) was a

Congressman A Member of Congress (MOC) is a person who has been appointed or elected and inducted into an official body called a congress, typically to represent a particular constituency in a legislature. The term member of parliament (MP) is an equivalen ...

and jurist from North Carolina. From 1853 to 1855, he served one term in the

U.S. 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 chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

as a Whig.

Early life

He was born near Danville, Virginia, on February 10, 1811, the son of John Kerr. The younger Kerr completed academic studies in

Richmond, Virginia (Thus do we reach the stars) , image_map = , mapsize = 250 px , map_caption = Location within Virginia , pushpin_map = Virginia#USA , pushpin_label = Richmond , pushpin_m ...

. He studied law, and was admitted to the bar.

Career

He commenced a legal practice in Yanceyville, North Carolina. He also served as a trustee of Wake Forest College from 1844 to 1856, and of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill from 1846 to 1868.

Congress

He was an unsuccessful Whig candidate for

Governor of North Carolina The governor of North Carolina is the head of government of the U.S. state of North Carolina. The governor directs the executive branch of the government and is the commander in chief of the military forces of the state. The current governor, ...

in 1852. He was elected as a Whig to the Thirty-third Congress (March 4, 1853– March 3, 1855). He lost a reelection campaign in 1854.

Later career

He was a member of the State house of representatives in 1858 and 1860, and a judge of the

superior court In common law systems, a superior court is a court of general jurisdiction over civil and criminal legal cases. A superior court is "superior" in relation to a court with limited jurisdiction (see small claims court), which is restricted to civil ...

of North Carolina from 1862 to 1863 and 1874 to 1879.

Death

He died in

Reidsville, North Carolina Reidsville is a city in Rockingham County in the U.S. state of North Carolina. At the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 14,580. Reidsville is included in the Greensboro–High Point Metropolitan Statistical Area of the Piedmont T ...

, September 5, 1879; interment in the City Cemetery, Yanceyville, N.C.

External links