English: Michael Crawford Kerr (
March 15,
1827–
August 19,
1876) was an
American legislator. He was born at
Titusville,
Pennsylvania, was educated at the Erie Academy and graduated at the law school of
Louisville University in
1851. He removed to
New Albany,
Indiana, in
1852, and was a member of the
State Legislature in
1856 to
1857. He was elected to Congress in
1864 as a "war" Democrat, having vigorously opposed the "
Copperhead" element in his district. He served in the
United States House of Representatives as a
Democrat from
Indiana from
1865 to
1873. In Congress he was looked upon as one of the leaders of the Democratic party. He strongly opposed the
Republican policy of
reconstruction in the Southern States. He was not reëlected in
1872. His views on financial questions did not meet with favor in his constituency, where he openly antagonized the inflationists and the "greenback" element and favored the resumption of specie payments. In
1874, however, after a sharp contest he was reëlected, and on his reëntry into Congress was elected to the
speakership. He presided as Speaker at only the first session of the Forty-fourth Congress and died of
consumption shortly after its adjournment.