{{Short description|Canadian politician}} {{Use dmy dates|date=July 2020}} {{Infobox officeholder | honorific_prefix = The Honourable | name = James Kirkpatrick Kerr | honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|country=CAN|PC|KC|size=100%}} | image = James Kirkpatrick Kerr.png | office = Canadian Senator <br />from Ontario | appointer = Wilfrid Laurier | term_start = 1903 | term_end = 1916 | office2 = Speaker of the Senate | predecessor2 = Raoul Dandurand | successor2 = Auguste Charles Philippe Robert Landry | term_start2 = 1909 | term_end2 = 1911 | birth_date = {{birth date|1841|8|1|df=y}} | birth_place = Near Guelph, Canada West | death_date = {{death date and age|1916|12|4|1841|8|1|df=y}} | death_place = Toronto, Ontario, Canada | spouse = | party = Liberal | relations = | children = | alma_mater = | occupation = | profession = }}
'''James Kirkpatrick Kerr''' {{post-nominals|country=CAN|PC|KC}} (1 August 1841 – 4 December 1916) was a Canadian lawyer and Senator. He served as Speaker of the Senate of Canada during the 11th Parliament from 14 January 1909 to 22 October 1911.<ref name="Bio">{{cite web|url=http://www.parl.gc.ca/About/Parliament/Speakers/Sen/sp-16Kerr-e.htm|title=Biography of James Kirkpatrick Kerr, Parliament of Canada website}}</ref>
==Background== Kerr was born in Guelph in what was then Canada West in the Province of Canada. He was called to the bar of Upper Canada in 1862 and began a legal partnership with Edward Blake, Samuel Blake and James Bethune. He became head, in 1884, of the legal firm of Kerr, Davidson, Paterson and Grant.<ref name="Bio"/>
In his career, Kerr argued several cases before the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council and was elected a Bencher of the Law Society of Upper Canada in 1879.
He was an active Liberal and unsuccessfully ran for election to the House of Commons of Canada in 1891 from Toronto Centre.
He became president of the Ontario Liberal Association in 1892 and was appointed to the Senate of Canada on 12 March 1903. He was appointed Speaker of that body six years later.
Kerr was also an active Mason and was Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Canada from 1875 to 1877.
He was also active in commerce and served on several boards of directors including the Canadian General Electric Company. He was one of the founders of Havergal College.
As a former Speaker of the Senate of Canada James Kerr was given membership in the Queen's Privy Council for Canada in 1911.
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== * {{Canadian Parliament links|ID=5366}}
{{Speakers of the Canadian Senate}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kerr, James Kirkpatric}} Category:1841 births Category:1916 deaths Category:Canadian senators from Ontario Category:Candidates in the 1891 Canadian federal election Category:Liberal Party of Canada senators Category:Lawyers in Ontario Category:Members of the King's Privy Council for Canada Category:Speakers of the Senate of Canada Category:Liberal Party of Canada candidates for the Canadian House of Commons Category:20th-century members of the Senate of Canada Category:Toronto candidates for Member of Parliament