John H. Kerr
Warrenton, Warren County, North Carolina
Marker Inscription
John H. Kerr 1873 1958. Congressman, 1923-1952; jurist. Sponsored bills to create tobacco price supports and Kerr Lake. He lived 2 blocks east.
Erected by North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources
The Story
John H. Kerr (1873–1958) represented North Carolina in Congress from 1923 to 1952, having earlier served as a judge. He is remembered for sponsoring federal tobacco price-support legislation vital to the state's farm economy, and for the reservoir later named Kerr Lake. He lived two blocks to the east.
Why it matters
Kerr's long career shows how federal farm policy reshaped the rural South, propping up the tobacco economy that defined North Carolina.
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Related people
- · John H. Kerr
Related events
- · Federal tobacco price supports
- · Creation of Kerr Lake
Themes & tags
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