Hamilton Kerr

Sir Hamilton William Kerr, 1st Baronet (1 August 1903 – 26 December 1974) was a British Conservative Party politician and journalist.

Sir Hamilton Kerr, Bt
Member of Parliament for Cambridge
In office 1950–1966
Preceded by	Arthur Symonds
Succeeded by	Robert Davies
Member of Parliament for Oldham
In office 1931–1945 Serving with Anthony Crossley (1931-1935) John Dodd (1935–1945)
Preceded by	James Wilson Gordon Lang
Succeeded by	Leslie Hale Frank Fairhurst
Personal details
Born	Hamilton William Kerr 1 August 1903
Died	24 December 1974 (aged 71)
Political party	Conservative
Relations	Charles Greville, 3rd Baron Greville (stepfather)
Parents	Henry S. Kerr Olive Grace Kerr
Education	Eton College
Alma mater	Balliol College, Oxford

Early life

Kerr was born on 1 August 1903. He was second son born to Americans Olive (née Grace) Kerr and banker Henry Scanlan Kerr of Long Island.[1] After his father's death, his mother remarried to Charles Greville, shortly thereafter the 3rd Baron Greville.[2] His older brother was Henry Grace Kerr,[1] who was killed in France during World War I.[3] His paternal grandparents were William Henry Kerr and Harriet Ellen (née Scanlan) Kerr. His mother was a niece of Michael P. Grace and Mayor William Russell Grace, founder of W. R. Grace and Company.[2]

He was educated at Eton and Balliol College, Oxford.[4]

Career

After his graduation from Oxford, he then took up a career in journalism and worked on the Daily Mail and the Daily Telegraph.[4]

At the 1931 general election, he was elected as the Member of Parliament for the Oldham constituency in Lancashire. He held the seat until losing it to Labour at the 1945 general election. In the 1930s, Kerr served as Parliamentary Private Secretary to Alfred Duff Cooper, starting in 1933 when Cooper was Financial Secretary to the War Office.[4] During the Second World War, he served in a balloon squadron in the Royal Air Force and briefly held office as Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Health in the 1945 caretaker government.[5]

At the 1950 general election, he was returned to the House of Commons as the MP for Cambridge, holding that seat until his retirement at the 1966 general election. In 1954, Kerr was appointed Parliamentary Private Secretary to the future Prime Minister Harold Macmillan.[5]

Kerr was made a Baronet, of Cambridge in the County of Cambridge, in 1957. The title became extinct upon his death in 1974.

Legacy

The Hamilton Kerr Institute was established in 1976 in the riverside property given to Cambridge University for the Fitzwilliam Museum and endowed by Sir Hamilton Kerr.[6] The HKI provides art conservation services and training.

References

1. "Henry S. Kerr Left Over $1,000,000" (PDF). The New York Times. 26 November 1907. Retrieved 15 November 2019.
2. TIMES, Special Cable to THE NEW YORK (27 October 1909). "MRS. HENRY S. KERR TO WED.; To Become the Bride of the Hon. Charles Greville on Nov. 24" (PDF). The New York Times. Retrieved 15 November 2019.
3. "Lieut. H.G. Kerr Killed in Action" (PDF). The New York Times. 7 July 1917. Retrieved 15 November 2019.
4. Dod's Parliamentary Companion for 1936. London: P. S. King & Son Ltd. 1936. p. 386.
5. The Times House of Commons 1955. London: The Times Office. 1955. p. 70.
6. Hamilton Kerr Institute: History

• Leigh Rayment's list of baronets
• Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs

External links

• Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Sir Hamilton Kerr