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Biography
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Collection Summary
Robert Floyd Kerr was born April 12, 1850 at Sugar Grove, Indiana. He attended Wabash College and later DePauw University, where he graduated in 1877. After teaching in Indiana for 2 years, he taught English and Mathematics at Hirosaki, Japan in 1879. Upon his return to the United States in 1880, Kerr taught again throughout the Midwest, settling finally in Brookings in 1885, where he was professor of political economy and Principal of the Preparatory Department. In 1892, he was ousted from the college and went to Illinois to work but he returned to Brookings in 1898, this time as Librarian and Principal of the Preparatory Department. In addition to these roles, he also served as steward and manager of a boarding club, ran the men’s dormitory and acted as advisor to the Dakota Agricultural Cadets, the military organization on campus. In addition to his work on the SDSU campus, Kerr was also active in Brookings. He was instrumental in founding the Forum, a men’s association in town, and he was active with the Masons. In 1905, Kerr accepted a position as private Secretary to Governor Elrod. In 1911 and 1913, he served on the South Dakota legislature. In his later years, he lived in Brookings, edited a farm paper and remained active in many community organizations. He died October 16, 1921. The Robert Floyd Kerr Papers sub-group represents what can only be a portion of items from Kerr’s personal files. They consist mainly of correspondence, but also include some diaries and writings, ledgers, class records and even Kerr’s 1879 traveling papers for his stay in Japan. The bulk of the material is correspondence, which is both personal and related to his work at the university. Some of the letters chronicle his dismissal from the university, which is an integral part of the early history of South Dakota State University.
Use of Materials This collection is open to research without restriction. This collection is indexed under the following headings in the subject guide. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons or places should search the subject guide using these headings.
Robinson, Doane, revised by R. F. Kerr, A history of South Dakota: from earliest times, Mitchell, S.D., The Educator School Supply Co., 1907. F656.R652 Kerr, Robert F., Kerr’s block map and manual of South Dakota, Pierre, S.D., The Capital Supply Co., 1913. G4180.K4b Kerr, Robert Floyd, Some interesting reminiscences of the early days in Brookings County, Brookings, S.D., s.n., 1972. F657.B75 K4 oversize Kerr, Robert Floyd, The voyage of Groseilliers and Radisson, 1652 to 1684, Pierre, S.D., South Dakota State Historical Society, 1902. F646.S6 v.1 1902 Lindell, Lisa, “Collegiate Life from Both Sides of the Desk: South Dakota State University in the 1880s.” South Dakota History v. 30 no. 2 (Summer 2000): pp.167-199. Otto, Kathryn, “Dakota Resources: The Robert F. Kerr Papers at the South Dakota Historical Resource Center.” South Dakota History v.9 no. 3 (Summer 1979): pp. 248-251. South Dakota State Archives, Robert F. Kerr Collection, South Dakota State Archives website <http://www.sdhistory.org/arc/Manuscript/roberttkerr/_private/robertfkerrindex.htm> Preferred citation Faculty Papers/R. F. (Robert Floyd) Kerr Papers, South Dakota State University Archives, South Dakota State University, Brookings, S. D. Provenance The library has long held the Kerr papers, but their provenance is sketchy at best. It is believed that William H. Powers, when writing his history of South Dakota State University [SDSU], used many of Kerr’s papers in doing so. Albert S. Harding, who also attempted to write a history of SDSU, appears to have used them as well. It is highly recommended that both the Powers and Harding papers be consulted along with the Kerr papers. Processing Information This collection was processed by Elizabeth B. Scott on 5 May 1998 with revisions on 10 February 1999 and 26 June 2002 [cjg]. |
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Copyright 2006 by South
Dakota State University and SDSU Archives. |
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Last updated 9 February 2006.