Pratt County Archives - Kansas Oral History Project

Interview of Lee Hamm, September 3, 2025

Interviewed by Joan Wagnon

In this interview, Lee Hamm, farmer, dairyman and former state legislator, recalls growing up in rural Pratt County during the Depression years. His descriptions of life on the farm are vivid as are his memories of being educated in a rural school. At the age of 96 his memories of his public service are still sharp. He served on two school boards, Glendale and Pratt, during the time that Kansas was in the process of consolidating its 2800 rural schools down to about 300. He ran for the Legislature in 1972 and served 20 years Show Moreunder 5 different governors before being appointed by Governor Joan Finney to head the Kansas Grain Inspection Department. Hamm closed the interview with some thoughts about the changes he has seen in state government and life in Kansas. Show Less

Interview of Fred Kerr, March 30, 2015

Interviewed by Burdett Loomis

Fred Kerr reflected on his 15 years serving in the Kansas Senate representing the 33rd Senate district. He recalled Senate leaders and fellow Senators who helped him as a freshman and the influence of those mentors on his career. Fred recalled the process involved in securing a leadership position in the Senate and the dynamics of leadership races. He also reflected on the urban-rural divide in Kansas politics that during the late 1970s and early to mid 1980s was often more of a force than the partisan divide. A version of this interview is posted on Show Morethe website of the Kansas Historical Society.

Another oral history interview of Kerr is included in the Statehouse Conversations collection on this site.

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Interview of Fred Kerr, April 13, 2018

Interviewed by H. Edward (Ed) Flentje

Fred Kerr reflects on his 15 years in the Kansas Senate representing the 33rd Senate District. He recalls Senate leaders and fellow Senators who helped him as a freshman and whose influence guided him throughout his career. Kerr talks about the process involved in securing a leadership position in the Senate and the dynamics of leadership races. He observes how relationships between competitors for leadership offices affected Senators differently and how they worked together in subsequent legislative sessions. He also reflects on how decisions were made regarding tax policy to fund both highways and public schools. Show MoreKerr, who ran for Governor in 1994, comments about the increasing influence of money and monied interests in state-wide politics.

Another oral history interview of Kerr is included in the Statehouse Conversations collection on this site.

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