John Kerr, Jr.

Who was John Kerr, Jr.?

John Kerr, Jr. was a Congressional Representative and jurist from North Carolina.

He was born near Danville, Virginia, February 10, 1811, son of John Kerr. The younger Kerr completed academic studies in Richmond, Virginia; studied law; and was admitted to the bar and commenced practice in Yanceyville, North Carolina; trustee of Wake Forest College, North Carolina 1844-1856 and of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 1846-1868; unsuccessful Whig candidate for Governor of North Carolina in 1852; elected as a Whig to the Thirty-third Congress; unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1854 to the Thirty-fourth Congress; member of the State house of representatives in 1858 and 1860; judge of the superior court of North Carolina, 1862–1863 and 1874–1879; died in Reidsville, North Carolina, September 5, 1879; interment in the City Cemetery, Yanceyville, N.C.