Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 06.djvu/248

 KERR

KERR

assistant topographer of the U.S. geological survey, and was given charge later of the division of Northern California. He also engaged in gen- eral practice as a mining engineer in San Fran- cisco, Cal. In 1886 he ascended Mount Shasta, remaining nearly a week upon its summit to complete the geodetic work. As the topographer of the first expedition of the National Geographic •society to Alaska in 1890, he nearly succeeded in reaching the topof Mt. St. Elias, made a new esti- mate of its height (15,350 feet), and discovered new peaks and glaciers. An account of this work was published in Scribner's Magazine, Vol. IX., No. 3. He was elected a member of the Sons of the Revolution through his maternal great-- grandfather, Col. Mathias Brickell, of Hertford county. North Carolina. He also became a mem- ber of the American Institute of Mining Engin- eers, of the National Geograpliic society, and of the Philosophical society of Washington, and several scientific organizations in San Francisco. KERR, Michael Crawford, representative, was born in Titusville, Pa., March 15, 1827. He was graduated from Erie academy in 1845 and from the law department of Louisville university in 1851, and commenced the practice of law in 1853 at New Albany, Ind. He was elected city attorney in 1854, and prosecuting attorney of Floyd county, Ind., in 1855. He was a represent- ative in the state legislature, 1856 and 1857, and reported the supreme court of Indiana, 1862- 65. He was a Democratic representative from the second Indiana district in the 39th, 40th, 41st and 42d congresses, 1865-73; was candidate for representative-at-large in 1873 against Godlove S.

Orth, but was

defeated, and was a repre- sentative in the 44th con- gress, 1875-76, '^2 being chosen speaker of the house. He was

us HOUSE Of REPREStUTATlVtS. OppOSOd tO the

reconstruction legislation of the Republican party and labored for a modification of the tariff. He edited five volumes of the Reports of the Supreme Court of Indiana. He died at Rockbridge Alum Springs, Va., Aug. 17, 1876.

KERR, Robert Floyd, educator, was born at Sugar Grove, Ind., April 12, 1850; son of Andrew J. and Nancy (Sayers) Kerr; grandson of Samuel and Nancy (Gwynn) Kerr, of Harrisburg, Ohio, and a descendant of Jolin Kerr of Franklin county. Pa., who was of Scotcli-Irish ancestry. His father was a farmer and Robert received his preparatory education in the country school, and was graduated at Indiana Asbury (De Pauw)

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university A.B., 1877, A.M., 1880. He was super- intendent of schools for Newton county, Ind., 1878-79, and in 1879 went to Japan, where he was professor of English and mathematics in Too Gijuku college at Hirosaki, 1879-81. On his re- turn in 1881 he engaged in business as a civil en- gineer and in 1885 was appointed professor of political economy and principal of the preparatoiy department in Dakota Agricultural college, then just established. In 1889 he became professor of histoiy and political science in the State Agricult- ui'al college of South Dakota, at Brookings, S.D. The winter of 1891-92 he spent in Europe study- ing the economic and social problems of the cap- ital cities. In addition to his class-room work he made contributions to current literature in the line of social science.

KERR, Washington Caruthers, geologist, was born in Alamance county, N.C., May 24, 1827; son of William and Euphence Barret (Doak) Kerr, and a grand nephew of Dr. Samuel Doak (q.v.). He was graduated from the University of North Carolina, A.B., 1850, A.M., 1852. He tauglit school in North Carolina and was a pro- fessor in Marshall university, Texas. He removed to Cambridge, Mass., where he was a computer in the office of the Nautical Almanac, and studied geology in Harvard college. He was a professor of chemistry, geology and mineralogy in Davidson college, N.C., 1855-61 and in 1861 he enlisted in the Confederate army. He was appointed by the Con- federate government to devise methods for man- ufacturing salt and he superintended its manu- facture from the sea water on the coasts of North and South Carolina throughout the civil war. He was state geologist of North Carolina, 1866-82; lecturer on natural history at the University of North Carolina, 1877-81; was a member of the U.S. geological survey, 1882-84, when failing health compelled him to resign the office. He was a member of many scientific societies. He received the degree of Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina in 1879 and that of LL.D. elsewhere. He is the autl^or of numerous reports including Report of the Geological Survey of North Carolina (Vol. I., 1875, Vol. II., 1881). He died in Asheville, N.C., Aug. 9, 1885.

KERR, Winfield Scott, representative, was born at Monroe, Richland county, Ohio, June 23, 1852; son of Alexander and Ursula (Gladden) Kerr, and grandson- of Solomon Gladden. He was graduated from the law department of the University of Michigan in 1879, and settled in practice at Mansfield, Ohio. He was a menibir of the Ohio state senate, 1888-92, and a Repub- lican representative from the fourteenth Ohio district in the 54th, 55th and 56th congresses, 1895-1901, serving in the 56th congress as chair- man of the committee on patents.