Joseph Kerr
Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly
from the Columbia district
In office
June 5, 1848 – January 7, 1850
Preceded byPosition established
Succeeded byHugh McFarlane
Personal details
Born1804
Ohio, U.S.
DiedJanuary 22, 1855(1855-01-22) (aged 50–51)
Randolph, Wisconsin, U.S.
Resting placeFriesland Cemetery, Friesland, Wisconsin
Political partyWhig
SpouseLydia H. Langdon (died 1884)
Children
  • Samuel Kerr
  • (b. 1846; died 1919)

Joseph Kerr (1804 – January 22, 1855) was an American farmer, Whig politician, and Wisconsin pioneer. He represented Columbia County in the Wisconsin State Assembly during the 1st and 2nd legislatures (1848, 1849).[1]

Background and election to the Assembly

He was born in Ohio shortly after the state's admission to the Union, and arrived in Columbia County in the fall of 1846.[2] When Wisconsin achieved statehood, he was elected to the Assembly's Columbia County seat as a Whig, and was re-elected in the fall of 1848 for the following year. When in April 1849 Randolph was organized as a Town, he was the (unsuccessful) Whig candidate for chairman of the town board.[3] He was succeeded in the Assembly seat for 1850 by Hugh McFarlane of Portage.

After the Assembly

In November 1851 he was a founding member, and was elected First Vice-president, of the Columbia County Agricultural Society.[3] He remained active therein, and in November 1853 was elected President of the Society.[4]

He died January 22, 1855, in Randolph.[5][6] At the time of his death he had been for years Chairman of the Town of Randolph Board of Supervisors, and thrice been elected Chairman of the Columbia County Board; and was a Director of the La Crosse & Milwaukee Railroad Company. He was married, and was or had been a parent.[3]

References

  1. ↑ "Members of the Wisconsin Legislature 1848–1999 State of Wisconsin Legislative Bureau. Information Bulletin 99-1, September 1999. p. 70 Archived 2006-12-09 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ↑ "List of Members of the Assembly of the State of Wisconsin". Wisconsin Express. January 30, 1849. Retrieved August 22, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. 1 2 3 The History of Columbia County, Wisconsin, Containing an Account of Its Settlement, Growth, Development and Resources. Chicago: Western Historical Company, 1880; pp. 458, 529, 845, 851
  4. ↑ Milwaukee Free Democrat November 15, 1853; p. 2, col. 2
  5. ↑ "Joseph Kerr". Daily Free Democrat. Milwaukee, WI. January 31, 1855. p. 3. Retrieved October 16, 2021 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  6. ↑ "Death of Joseph Kerr". Wisconsin State Journal. Madison, WI. February 5, 1855. p. 2. Retrieved October 16, 2021 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.