John H. Kerr
John Hosea Kerr (December 31, 1873 – June 21, 1958) was an American lawyer, judge, and Democratic politician from North Carolina. Born in Yanceyville, he lived most of his life in Warrenton. He studied at Wake Forest University and its law school, then began practicing law in Warrenton in 1895. He served as Warrenton’s town attorney and was mayor in 1897–1898. He later worked as a solicitor and, from 1916 to 1923, as a superior court judge.
In 1923 Kerr was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives to fill a vacancy. He represented North Carolina’s 2nd district for 15 terms, serving from 1923 to 1953. He lost the 1952 Democratic primary to Lawrence H. Fountain after opposing some New Deal spending.
Kerr helped start the project that created Kerr Lake and the Kerr Dam, and Kerr Lake State Recreation Area is named after him. He died in Warrenton in 1958 at age 84.
His son, John H. Kerr, Jr., and his grandson, John H. Kerr, III, also served in North Carolina politics, and his great-uncle John Kerr served in Congress as well.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 04:01 (CET).