Joseph Kerr

American politician (1765-1837)
Joseph Kerr
United States Senator
from Ohio
In office
December 10, 1814 – March 3, 1815
Preceded byThomas Worthington
Succeeded byBenjamin Ruggles
Member of the Ohio Senate from Ross and Franklin counties
In office
1804–1806
Preceded byAbraham Claypool
Nathaniel Massie
Succeeded byAbraham Claypool
Duncan MacArthur
Member of the Ohio House of Representatives from Ross County
In office
1818–1820
Preceded byDuncan McArthur
James Manary
William Vance
Succeeded byJohn Bailhache
John Entrekin
William Vance
Member of the Ohio House of Representatives from Ross County
In office
1808–1809
Preceded byNew district
Succeeded byJames Dunlap
Joseph Gardner
Nathaniel Massie
David Shelby
Edward Tiffin
Personal details
Born1765
Chambersburg, Pennsylvania
DiedAugust 22, 1837 (aged 71–72)
East Carroll Parish, Louisiana, US
Political partyDemocratic-Republican

Joseph Kerr (1765 – August 22, 1837) was a Democratic-Republican politician from Ohio who served in the United States Senate.

Biography

Kerr (pronounced "car") was born in Kerrtown, Pennsylvania (now Chambersburg), and moved to Ohio in 1792. He served in a number of positions as clerk, surveyor, judge and justice of the peace in the Northwest Territory.

He served as justice of the peace at Manchester, Adams County, Ohio in 1797. and as a judge of the first quarter session court of Adams County, Northwest Territory, in 1797.

Kerr's son, Joseph Kerr Jr., died in the Battle of the Alamo.[1]

Career

After statehood was declared, Kerr was elected to the Ohio House of Representatives in 1808, 1816, 1818, and 1819. He was elected to the Ohio State Senate in 1804 and 1810. He also served as a brigadier general of Ohio Volunteers during the War of 1812, in charge of supplying provisions to the Army of the Northwest.

Kerr was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1814 to fill a vacancy created by the resignation of Thomas Worthington.[2] Kerr served from December 10, 1814, to March 3, 1815,[3] and did not seek re-election.

Death

Kerr's extensive farm went bankrupt in 1826, and he moved to Memphis, Tennessee and then to rural Louisiana, where he purchased a homestead near Lake Providence.[4] He died on August 22, 1837.

References

  1. ^ Groneman, Bill (June 15, 2010). "KERR, JOSEPH". Texas State Historical Association.
  2. ^ "KERR, Joseph, (1765 - 1837)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved August 24, 2012.
  3. ^ "govtrack.us". Civic Impulse, LLC. Retrieved August 24, 2012.
  4. ^ "KERR, Joseph, (1765 - 1837)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved March 1, 2014.

External links

Offices and distinctions
Ohio Senate
Preceded by
Abraham Claypool
Nathaniel Massie
Senator from Ross and Franklin Counties
1804–1806
Served alongside: Abraham Claypool (1804–1805)
Duncan McArthur (1805–1806)
Succeeded by
Abraham Claypool
Duncan McArthur
as Senators from Ross, Franklin, and Highland Counties
Ohio House of Representatives
New district Representative from Ross County
1808–1809
Served alongside: Jessup Nash Couch, James Dunlap, Samuel Monnett, David Shelby
Succeeded by
James Dunlap
Joseph Gardner
Nathaniel Massie
David Shelby
Edward Tiffin
Preceded by
Duncan McArthur
James Manary
William Vance
Representative from Ross County
1818–1820
Served alongside: 1818–1819: John Sill, James S. Swearingen
1819–1820: Isaac Cook, Samuel Tizzard
Succeeded by
John Bailhache
John Entrekin
William Vance
U.S. Senate
Preceded by
Thomas Worthington
U.S. senator (Class 1) from Ohio
1814–1815
Served alongside: Jeremiah Morrow
Succeeded by
Military offices
Preceded by
Thomas Worthington
Adjutant General of Ohio
1809–1810
Succeeded by
Authority control databases Edit this at Wikidata
International
  • FAST
National
  • Germany
  • United States
People
  • US Congress
Other
  • SNAC