33 Archives - Kansas Oral History Project

Interview of Fred Kerr, March 30, 2015

Interviewed by Burdett Loomis

This is the first of two oral history interviews of Fred Kerr in this collection. 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 the influence of those mentors on his career. Fred talks extensively about the process involved in securing a leadership position in the Senate and the dynamics of leadership races. He also reflects on the urban-rural divide in Kansas politics that during the late 1970s and early to mid 1980s was often more Show Moreof a force than the partisan divide. A version of this interview is also posted on KansasMemory.org, the website of the Kansas Historical Society.

The other 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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