Erivv council of the governor-general, which post e held till his death. Keroualle is the author of several important works on the French colonies. He is still considered as the most competent writer on colonial laws and customs, and his " Les lois et constitutions en vigueur dans les colonies fran- caises de l'Amerique, appelees ties sous le vent, de 1650 a 1790" (9 vols., Paris, 1821-'7), is the stand- ard work on the French colonial administrative system during the last two centuries. Among his other publications are " Statistique de la Guade- loupe " (Basse Torre, 1820) ; " Expose du regime colonial a la Martinique et a la Guadeloupe durant le xviii e siecle" (2 vols., Paris, 1825); "Essai de notions coloniales" (1827); "De l'effet du climat des Antilles sur le systeme nerveuse " (1828) ; " De la longevite a la Guadeloupe, suivie de tables statistiques comparant la mortalite dans les An- tilles avec la mortalite en France " (2 vols., 1829) ; " Du resultat pour les colonies francaises des Antilles de la revolution et de la guerre qui en a ete la suite " (2 vols., 1830) ; and " Expose du climat des Antilles et de son influence sur les Europeens et les Creoles " (1831).
KERR, James, Canadian jurist, b. in Leith,
Scotland, about 1764; d. in Quebec, 5 May, 1846.
He was educated at Leith and at the University of
Glasgow, and in 1785 entered at the Inner Temple,
London, where he was admitted to the English bar.
In 1794 he removed to Canada, and in August,
1797, he was appointed judge of the vice-admiralty
court at Quebec. He was made a judge of the king's
bench in 1807. in 1812 was called by Sir George
Prevost to the executive council, and in 1821 by
the Earl of Dalhousie to the legislative council.
During the absence of Chief-Justice Sewell in Eng-
land, at various periods between 1814 and 1827,
Judge Kerr presided in the court of king's bench,
and in 1826-7 was speaker of the legislative council.
KERR, John, clergyman, b. in Casswell county,
N. C., 14 Aug., 1782 ; d. 29 Sept., 1842. He was
licensed to preach in August, 1801, and after trav-
elling as an evangelist in South Carolina, Georgia,
and Virginia, he settled in Halifax county, Va., in
1805. In 1812 he was elected as a Democrat to
congress, and served two terms, from 24 Mav,
1813, till 3 March, 1817. Returning to Halifax, he
preached in the churches at Arbor and Mary Creek
until March, 1825, when he became pastor of the
1st Baptist church in Richmond. His eloquence
attracted a large congregation, and produced re-
vivals in 1826-'7 and 1831 that added about 700
members to his church. Yet in 1831 a schism
arose in consequence of the preaching of Alexander
Campbell, who had been invited to occupy the pul-
pit while attending the State constitutional con-
vention in Richmond. The separation of nearly
half his society caused Mr. Kerr to resign at the
close of 1832. — His son, John, jurist, b. in Pittsyl-
vania county, Va. ; d. in Reidsville, N. C, 5 Sept.,
1879, was educated in Richmond, Va., studied law
with Judge John S. Pearson, of North Carolina,
and practised at Yanceyville, N. C. He was the
Whig candidate for governor in 1852, but was de-
feated by David S. Reid. The same year he was
elected to congress, and served from 5 Dec, 1853,
till 3 March, 1855. In 1858 and 1860 he was a
member of the legislature. During the reconstruc-
tion conflict he was arrested by the military au-
thorities. Chief-Justice Pearson refused to issue
an attachment against Col. George W. Kirk, who
held Mr. Kerr and other prisoners in custody under
order of Gov. William W. Holden (q. v.), on the
f round that the power of the judiciary was ex-
austed ; but Judge George W. Brooks, on 25 Aug.,
1870, issued a writ of habeas corpus, and on its re-
turn ordered the prisoners to be released. Kerr's
arrest and imprisonment brought him into notice,
and led to his election, by the legislature in 1874,
to the bench of the superior court.
KERR, John Leeds, senator, b. near Annapolis,
Md., 15 Jan., 1780: d. near Easton, Md., 21 Feb.,
1844. He was graduated at St. John's college. An-
napolis, in 1799, studied law with John L. Bozman,
and practised in Easton. In 1817 he was agent of
the state of Maryland for the settlement of claims
against the United States for expenditures during
the war of 1812. He was elected to congress as a
Whig, serving from 5 Dec, 1825, till 3 March, 1829,
and defeated at the next election, but was again
successful at the succeeding one, and served from
5 Dec, 1831, till 2 March, 1833. He was a presi-
dential elector in 1840, and on the death of John
S. Spence was chosen by the legislature to serve
out the latter's unexpired term in the U. S. senate,
serving from 13 Jan., 1841, till 3 March, 1843. He
edited the "History of Maryland," by his uncle,
John L. Bozman (Baltimore, 1837). — His son, John
Bozman, b. in Easton, Md., 5 March, 1809 ; d. in
Washington, D. C, 27 Jan., 1878, was graduated at
Harvard in 1830, and admitted to the bar in 1833.
He practised at Easton. Md., was a member of the
state house of representatives in 1836-'8. In 1848
he was elected as a Whig to congress, and in 1850
was re-elected, but did not take his seat because he
had accepted the post of charge d'affaires at Nica-
ragua, which he filled from 12 March, 1851, to 1
June, 1853. He was instrumental in saving the
lives of some of the chief officers of the revolu-
tionary party in 1851. After his return he prac-
tised his profession at Baltimore and St. Michaels,
Md., was a solicitor before the U. S. court of
claims, and at the time of his death was employed
in the treasury department.
KERR, Joseph, senator. He was elected from
Ohio to serve through the unexpired term of
Thomas Worthington,
who had resigned. Mr. Kerr
took his seat 30 Dec., 1814, and served till the
end of the session, which closed 2 March, 1815.
KERR, Michael Crawford (ker), statesman, b. in Titusville, Pa., 15 March, 1827 ; d. in Rockbridge, Alum Springs, Va., 19 Aug., 1876. He studied for a time at the Erie academy, where he was graduated in 1845. He became a teacher, and then attended the law-school of the Louisville university, Kentucky, where he was graduated in 1851. In 1852 he removed to New Albany, Ind., and began the practice of law. Two years later he was chosen city attorney, and, after one year's service, prosecuting attorney of Floyd county. He was elected a member of the Indiana legislature in 1856. and in 1862 was chosen reporter of the supreme court of Indiana, publishing, while in that position, five volumes of reports which are regarded as the best of those that have been issued by the court. He was elected as a Democrat to congress in 1864, and served continuously till 1872, when he refused a renomination for his own district, but ran for congressman -at-large on the state ticket against Godlove S. Orth, and was defeated by a majority of only 126 votes. In 1874 he was chosen to represent his own district after a bitter canvass against a coalition candidate, and he was elected speaker of that body, 6 Dec, 1875. His health began to fail rapidly after the election of 1874, and was so broken after he was chosen speaker that it was with difficulty he performed the duties of the office during the first session of congress, and four days after its adjournment he died of consumption. Mr. Kerr was a tall and massively built man, with a serious
