Otto Kerner Jr.

Otto Kerner Jr. (August 15, 1908 – May 9, 1976) was an American jurist and politician.

Kerner was born in Chicago, Illinois, on August 15, 1908, the son of Rosalie [née Chmelíková] (1885–1979) and Otto Kerner, Sr. (1884–1952).

His father, born in Chicago to Czech immigrants from Ronov nad Doubravou and Hrazánky, served as Illinois Attorney General and a judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.

His mother was born in Lišov and came to America with her parents and sisters.

Born into the Czech community of Chicago, he was named after his father.

After graduating with an Artium Baccalaureus degree from Brown University in 1930, Kerner attended Trinity College, Cambridge in England from 1930 to 1931.

In 1934, he received a Juris Doctor from Northwestern University School of Law in Chicago and was admitted to the Illinois bar.

On October 20, 1934, he married Helena Cermak, daughter of the late Anton Cermak, who had been mayor of Chicago before he was shot and mortally wounded in Miami, Florida, in 1933 by Giuseppe Zangara in what may have been an attempt on the life of president-elect Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Kerner joined the 33rd Division of the Illinois National Guard in 1934 and because of his time in the National Guard he was quickly granted a commission when the Second World War broke out.

In 1942, he entered active duty in World War II, serving as a field artillery officer in the 9th Infantry Division of the United States Army in North Africa and Italy and in 32nd Infantry Division in the Pacific.

He was awarded the Bronze Star Medal for merit and the Soldier's Medal for rescuing a drowning soldier off the coast of Sicily.

He was released from active duty in 1946 as a lieutenant colonel and rejoined the Illinois National Guard.

In 1947, Kerner was appointed United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, a post which he held until 1954.

In the 33rd Division, Kerner was promoted to the rank of colonel in the Illinois Army National Guard that same year and to brigadier general in 1951.

He retired from the Army National Guard in 1954 as a major general.

During his time in the Army, Kerner deeply impressed his commanding officer at the time, Jacob Arvey, who was also the leader of the Cook County Democratic party.

This friendship proved beneficial to Kerner as it garnered him much support from local politicians, notably Richard J. Daley, who supported Kerner as a Democratic nominee.

He then became a judge in the Illinois Circuit Court of Cook County from 1954 to 1961.

In both of those posts, Kerner was an advocate for reforming adoption laws and procedures.

He also prosecuted famed automobile executive Preston Tucker for fraud, but Tucker was acquitted.

He defeated incumbent William G. Stratton by more than 500,000 votes in the 1960 Illinois gubernatorial election and was re-elected in 1964, defeating moderate Republican Charles H. Percy.

As governor, Kerner promoted economic development, education, mental health services, and equal access to jobs and housing.

Some of his major economic developments were when he won the contract to build the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory.

He served as the 33rd governor of Illinois from 1961 to 1968 and chaired the National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders (the Kerner Commission).

He was then appointed a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.

His first mission to Europe in 1963 saw an additional $5 million generated for Illinoisan agriculturists.

At that time Japan was the state's largest trading partner, with $145 million of annual trade.

Kerner saw Japan as a valuable asset and thus funded the Illinois Far Eastern Movement which included many corporate delegates.

In 1965 Kerner submitted an article called "Illinois Opens the Export Doors" in which he explained his goal to initiate the full employment granted by export trade citing a potential 250.000 workers that could be put to work.

The primary goal was job creation, which to him was achieved through the improvement of trade.

As a result, Kerner funded an Illinois Committee for Trade Expansion.

Relations with Japan remained good; the Japanese Prime Minister Eisaku Sato, who had been previously invited by Kerner in 1965, gave an impressive speech in 1967 praising the state of Illinois for its continued trade with Japan.

Kerner also proved competent in terms of welfare arrangements.

Later on, his advances in mental health programs were so successful that they became a model for the coming national health reform.

He served on the National Governors' Conference Executive Committee from 1967 to 1968, and chaired the Midwestern Governors' Conference that same year.

In July 1967, President Lyndon B. Johnson formed the National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders and named Kerner its chairman.

As chairman of the National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders, Kerner sent a number of letters to Lyndon Johnson urging him to increase the number of black officers in the United States Army, which was drastically low (Army 1.15%, Air Force 0.6%).

He also sent a number of letters to Attorney General Ramsey Clark and Rosel H. Hyde, Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, pressing them for more effective radio equipment for the police force as well as improved riot training.

The letters stressed the need to not overlook the major points of the Commission's findings but to use the lessons learned in the riots to further promote law and order across the nation.

He was forced to step down from the bench after being convicted of mail fraud in 1974.