Robert S. Kerr - Legacy

Legacy

Kerr's chief legacy for the state of Oklahoma is a series of water projects and dams that made the Arkansas River into a navigable inland waterway system. During his term as governor, Kerr witnessed the devastation caused by flooding of the Arkansas River and its tributaries due to the river's shallowness, which prevented river traffic from reaching Oklahoma. His first bill in Congress created the Arkansas, White and Red River Study Commission, which planned the land and water development in this region. He died before he saw the commission's work come to fruition as the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System, a series of 17 locks and dams making the waterway navigable from the Tulsa Port of Catoosa to the Gulf of Mexico.

Dozens of Oklahoma schools, buildings, roads, streets, parks, organizations, and events are named in Kerr's honor. Most notable is a portion of 2nd Street, between E.K. Gaylord Avenue and Classen Boulevard in downtown Oklahoma City, called Robert S. Kerr Ave. (The street directly north (3rd St) was renamed for his partner, Dean A. McGee.) The Carl Albert Center at the University of Oklahoma houses Kerr's papers; most are from his years in the Senate, but some gubernatorial papers and his political and Senate speeches are also included.

In 1956, Senator Kerr was inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame.

Kerr's death contributed to Kennedy's legislative difficulties in 1963, marked the end of the Democratic party's dominance in Oklahoma politics, and signaled the passing of a major figure in the oil industry, but in addition to an estate estimated to be worth at least $35 million, he left a legacy that extended beyond partisan or business affairs. His forceful use of the federal government to spur regional development, an approach shared by contemporaries, including Johnson, helped integrate the South and Southwest into the national economy. The rise of the "Sunbelt" ultimately transformed all aspects of American life. Robert Kerr played a significant role in that transformation.

Kerr's son, William G. Kerr (born 1937), is a collector and connoisseur of wildlife art. He and his wife Joffa founded the Wildlife of the American West Museum (now the National Museum of Wildlife Art) in 1987.

Kerr's grandson, William R. Kerr (born 26 April 1956), was convicted of mail fraud and securities fraud in 2003 and was sentenced to 7-1/2 years in prison. In a subsequent civil lawsuit brought by the Securities and Exchange Commission, William Kerr was ordered to repay victims $10.7 million. His Oklahoma Department of Corrections rapsheet and mugshots can be found here:.

A granddaughter of Senator Kerr, Joffa Kerr, was convicted of manslaughter in 2000. Joffa Kerr was driving drunk and slammed head-on into a car carrying 12-year old Ryan Dawson and his 65-year-old grandfather. Joffa was sentenced to 15 years and 50 years on various manslaughter charges and served 7 years in prison before making parole. She remains on parole until the year 2065 - effectively the rest of her life. Her Oklahoma Department of Corrections rapsheet and mugshots can be found here:. Her family settled a civil suit by the deceased's family for $5.1 million.