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'''Sir John Henry Kerr''' {{post-nominals|country=GBR|KCSI|KCIE}} (31 May 1871 – 8 April 1934) was a colonial governor in [[British India]]

The Honourable Sir '''John Henry Kerr''', [[K.C.S.I.]], [[K.C.I.E.]], colonial governor in [[British India]], was born on [[31 May]] [[1871]], in [[Glasgow]], [[Lanarkshire]], [[Scotland]], the elder son (with three daughters), of John Smith Kerr, tea and sugar merchant of [[Greenock]], and his wife, Sarah Ann Bray, elder daughter of Tom Cox Bray, an early settler of [[Adelaide]], South [[Australia]] (see under [[John Cox Bray]]).

==Life==

Kerr joined the Indian Civil Service in 1892. He was settlement officer, [[Bihar]] (1899); collector of [[Midnapore]] (1904); Director of Land Records, [[Bengal]] (1905); Deputy Secretary to the Government of India (1907); Revenue Secretary to the Government of India (1911); Chief Secretary to the Government of Bengal (1915); (Finance) member of Lord Zetland's Bengal Executive Council (1921-1922); Governor of [[Assam]] (1922-1927); acting Governor of Bengal (1925); Deputy Chairman of the Indian Franchise Committee (1932); retired (193-); "in retirement [he] continued [to be] an esteemed counsellor on Indian Affairs"; publications: Settlement Reports of Saran, and Darbanga; joint-editor, "Rampini's Bengal Tenancy Act".

The Honourable Sir '''John Henry Kerr''', [[K.C.S.I.]], [[K.C.I.E.]], colonial governor in [[British India]], was born on [[31 May]] [[1871]], in [[Glasgow]], [[Lanarkshire]], [[Scotland]], the elder son (with three daughters), of John Smith Kerr, tea and sugar merchant of [[Greenock]], and his wife, Sarah Ann Bray, elder daughter of [[John_Cox_Bray#Early_life|Tom Cox Bray]], an early settler of [[Adelaide]], [[South [[Australia]] (see under [[John Cox Bray]]).

Kerr was educated first by Messrs [[Wren and Gurney]], later going to the Glasgow Academy (1885-1887);. He attended the University of Glasgow, andfrom later1886 [[Clareto College]]1888, Cambridgeand (fromin 1890), and was matriculated in theat [[UniversityClare ofCollege, Cambridge]].<ref>{{acad|id=KR890JH|name=Kerr, (1890).John Kerr}}</ref>

Kerr joined the Indian Civil Service in 1892. He was settlement officer, [[Bihar]] (1899); collector of [[Midnapore]] (1904); Director of Land Records, [[Bengal]] (1905); Deputy Secretary to the Government of India (1907); Revenue Secretary to the Government of India (1911); Chief Secretary to the Government of Bengal (1915); (Finance) member of Lord Zetland's Bengal Executive Council (1921-1922); Governor of [[Assam]] (1922-1927); acting Governor of Bengal (1925); Deputy Chairman of the Indian Franchise Committee (1932); retired (193-); "in retirement [he] continued [to be] an esteemed counsellor on Indian Affairs"; publications: Settlement Reports of Saran, and Darbanga; joint-editor, "Rampini's Bengal Tenancy Act".

Sir John was awarded the honours, [[C.I.E.]] (1911) and [[C.S.I]] (1917). He was created a Knight Commander of the Most Eminent [[Order of the Indian Empire]] (1922), and a Knight Commander of the Most Exalted [[Order of the Star of India]] (1922).

Sir John was awarded the honours, [[C.I.E.]] (1911) and [[Order of the Star of India|C.S.I]] (1917). He was created a Knight Commander of the Most Eminent [[Order of the Indian Empire]] (1922), and a Knight Commander of the Most Exalted [[Order of the Star of India]] (1922).

His club was the East India United Services. In retirement, he lived at Fairstead, Latchmoor avenue, Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire, England, and at Orcadia, [[Kilmacolm]], [[Renfrewshire]], Scotland.

He married on [[28 January]] [[1898]] at Christ Church, Muzaffarpur, Tirhut, Bihar, India, Minnie Julia Wilson, later Lady Kerr, youngest daughter of James Minden Wilson, and Janet McKenzie, of Muzaffarpur, Tirhut, Bihar, India, and grand-daughtergranddaughter of the Honourable James Wilson, Chief Judge of [[Mauritius]]. They had two sons, the elder of whom, John Minden Kerr, was a brigadier in the British army, and two daughters, the younger of whom was the maternal grandmother of [[David Russell (guitarist)|David Russell]], classical guitarist.

Sir John died on [[8 April]] [[1934]] at his residence in Gerrards Cross and was buried in the cemetery at [[Chalfont St Peter]]. He was survived by Lady Kerr until January 1957. See obituaries in the London "''[[The Times".|Times]]''

[[File:Kerr Grave in Chalfont St Peter.jpg|thumbnail|center|Kerr's Grave in Chalfont St Peter]]

== References==

Sir John died on [[8 April]] [[1934]] at his residence in Gerrards Cross. He was survived by Lady Kerr until January 1957. See obituaries in the London "Times".

{{reflist}}

Sources:* "[[Who's Who (UK)|Who's Who]]" and "Who was Who"; see also similar British biographical publications, and "The Bray Family of England, Canada, and Australia" (1986), deposited in the libraries of the Hampshire Family History Society and the South Australian Society for Genealogy and Heraldry.

{{s-start}}

Sources: "[[Who's Who]]" and "Who was Who"; see also similar British biographical publications, and "The Bray Family of England, Canada, and Australia" (1986), deposited in the libraries of the Hampshire Family History Society and the South Australian Society for Genealogy and Heraldry.

{{s-gov}}

{{succession box

| before=Sir [[William Sinclair Marris]]

| title=[[Governor of Assam]] | years=1922–1927

| after=Sir [[Egbert Laurie Lucas Hammond]]

}}

{{s-end}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1871 births|Kerr, John Henry]]

[[Category{{DEFAULTSORT:1934 deaths|Kerr, John Henry]]}}

[[Category:1871 births|Kerr, John Henry]]

[[Category:Knights Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire|Kerr, John Henry]]

[[Category:1934 deaths]]

[[Category:Knights Commander of the Order of the Star of India|Kerr, John Henry]]

[[Category:Knights Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire|Kerr, John Henry]]

[[Category:Knights Commander of the Order of the Star of India|Kerr, John Henry]]

[[Category:Indian Civil Service (British India) officers]]

[[Category:British people in colonial India]]