John (later Sir John) Robert Kerr was born in Balmain on 24 September 1914, the son of Harold Kerr, a boilermaker. He was educated at Fort Street High School and the University of Sydney, where he gained a Bachelor of Laws in 1936, and was admitted to the NSW Bar in 1938.

During World War II, Kerr was a member of the 2nd AIF (1942-46), initially serving on the staff of the Commander-in-Chief (General Sir Thomas Blamey). In late 1942, he joined Colonel Alf Conlon's Directorate of Research and Civil Affairs and, in 1944, became its Deputy Director. Kerr also accompanied Blamey to the Prime Ministers' Conference in London, and acted as his personal emissary and representative in Washington and London during discussions on the problems of military government in New Guinea, Borneo, Hong Kong and Japan (1944-45). In early 1945 he became Chief Instructor at the Land Headquarters (LHQ) School of Civil Affairs, Duntroon.

On his demobilisation, with the rank of Colonel, Kerr became the first Principal of the Australian School of Pacific Administration in Sydney (1946-48), the civilian successor agency to the LHQ School of Civil Affairs. In this period he was also a member of the Australian delegation to the United Nations (1947) and Organizing Secretary of the South Pacific Commission (1948).

Kerr returned to his NSW legal practice in 1948 and was appointed a Queen's Counsel (QC) in 1953. He established a high reputation as a specialist in NSW and Federal industrial jurisdictions and in constitutional work, and played a leading role in the first Professional Engineers' case decided by the Commonwealth Conciliation and Arbitration Commission (1957-61). Kerr had joined the Australian Labor Party (ALP) in the 1940s, but resigned in 1955 during the Democratic Labor Party schism. He became active in the Committee for Cultural Freedom and its successor, the Association for Cultural Freedom.

Kerr consolidated his career throughout the 1960s. He was a member of the NSW Bar Council (1960-64); Vice President (1962-63) and President (1964) of the NSW Bar Association; Vice-President (1962-64) and President (1965-66) of the Law Council of Australia; President of the Law Association for Asia and the Western Pacific (1966-70); President of the NSW Industrial Relations Society (1960-63) and of the Industrial Relations Society of Australia (1964-66); President of the Marriage Guidance Council of NSW (1961-62); a member of the Medical Board of NSW (1963-65) and a member of the Board of the Council of New Guinea Affairs (1964-71). In 1965, he was elected an Honorary Life Member of the Law Society of England and Wales and presided at the Third Commonwealth and Empire Law Conference and, in 1967, was elected an Honorary Member of the American Bar Association. 

From 1966 to 1972, Kerr held several Commonwealth appointments, including as a Judge of the Commonwealth Industrial Court and of the Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory (1966-72), a Judge of the Courts of Marine Inquiry (1967-72), Deputy-President of the Trade Practices Tribunal (1967-73), Chairman of the Commonwealth Administrative Review Committee (1968-72), Deputy President of the Copyright Tribunal (1969-72), Judge of the Supreme Court of the Northern Territory and Chairman of the Committee of Inquiry into Services Pay (1970-72), Chairman of the Committee of Inquiry into Parliamentary Salaries and Allowances (1971). 

Kerr relinquished these positions on his appointment as Chief Justice of New South Wales (1972-74), but retained the latter during his term as Lieutenant-Governor of NSW (1973-74). On 11 July 1974, he was sworn in as the 18th Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia and Commander-in-Chief of the Defence Force, succeeding Sir Paul Hasluck. Kerr's term as Governor-General is most notable for his controversial dismissal of the Whitlam Labor Government, dissolution of the 29th Parliament (elected in May 1974) and installation of the Fraser 'Caretaker' Government on 11 November 1975. On 14 July 1977 it was announced that the Queen had accepted Kerr's resignation to take effect from December of that year. Sir Zelman Cowen, a prominent constitutional lawyer, replaced him. 

On 9 February 1978, Kerr was appointed as Australian Ambassador to UNESCO in Paris. Following sustained national outcry, however, he resigned from the position (2 March 1978) before taking up his duties. He continued to live mainly outside Australia until his death on 24 March 1991.

Sir John Kerr was made a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) in 1966, a Knight of the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem (KStJ) in 1974, Chancellor and Principal Companion of the Order of Australia (AK) and Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George (GCMG) in 1976, Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (GCVO) and a Privy Councillor (PC) in 1977. Other awards included the World Lawyer Award received at the World Peace Through Law Conference in August 1977.

Sources:

The Age, 10 Feb 1978, p 1
The Australian, 3 March 1978, p 5
The Canberra Times, 10 Feb 1978, p 1
Commonwealth Directory 1967, pp 16-18; 1968, pp 15-17; 1970, pp 15-17; 1972, pp 16-18; Feb 1973, p 16
Commonwealth Parliamentary Handbook 1978, pp 3, 4, 7
Prime Minister's Press Releases, 14 July 1977; 9 Feb 1978; 2 March 1978
Who's Who in Australia 1977, p 617; 1991, p 677

Unregistered links

c1 Feb 1945 – c1 Jan 1946: Land Headquarters School of Civil Affairs, Duntroon – Chief Instructor

1948:South Pacific Commission – Organizing Secretary

1963 – 1965:Medical Board of New South Wales – Member

1964 – 1971:Council on New Guinea Affairs – Member of Board

1966 – 1972:Commonwealth Industrial Court – Judge

1967 – 1972:Courts of Marine Inquiry – Judge

1968 – 1972:Commonwealth Administrative Review Committee – Chairman

1971:Committee of Inquiry into Parliamentary Salaries and Allowances – Chairman

1972 – 11 Jul 1974:New South Wales – Chief Justice

1973 – 11 Jul 1974:New South Wales – Lieutenant Governor