Kerr family

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Kerr family

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        The Honourable William Kerr, 1836-1906, was born at Ameliasburgh, Prince Edward County, Upper Canada, a son of Francis William and Olive Shelley Kerr. He attended school at Newtonville and later, Victoria College at Cobourg, Ontario where he received his B.A. in 1855 and his M.A. in 1858. Subsequently, Victoria College honoured him with a L.L.D. in 1887. William Kerr carried on his legal studies in the office of Smith and Armour (later Chief Justice of Ontario) in Cobourg. He was called to the Upper Canada bar in 1859 and practised law in Cobourg. He became a Q.C. in 1876. In 1896 he was elected a Bencher of the Law Society of Ontario. During his career, Mr. Kerr maintained his lasting association with Victoria College as a member of its Board of Regents, then as a senator. In 1885 he was appointed the University's Vice-Chancellor. He was heavily involved in the many land transactions undertaken by the University in Northumberland and Durham Counties. Mr. Kerr began his political career as a Town Councillor of Cobourg, from 1862 to 1867 and as the town's mayor, from 1867 to 1873. In 1874, he was elected as a Liberal member of the House of Commons for Northumberland West. He was unseated by petition on September 26, 1874, but was re-elected at a by-election on November 17, 1874. He was later defeated in both the 1878 and 1882 elections. On March 15, 1899 he was called to the Senate. Mr. Kerr was a Methodist by religion. On November 12, 1858, he married Myra J. Field, daughter of John Field M.P.P. They had seven children, three daughters and four sons. The oldest son, William F. Kerr became a partner in his father's law practice to form the firm Kerr and Kerr of Cobourg. After the Senator's death on November 22, 1906 in Toronto, William F. carried on the firm with a series of partnerships. John Wesley Kerr, the Senator's brother, was also a lawyer in Cobourg. He was called to the bar in May 1860 and was commissioned as a notary public in the same year. On June 27, 1870, he married Eva Fraser. It is possible that during his career he was Clerk of the Peace for the United Counties of Northumberland and Durham. He died on September 4, 1903.

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