Russell Kerr was born in 1921. Educated in Australia
he obtained a degree in economics at Sydney University. During the
Second World War he served in the Royal
Air Force.
After
the war he joined the Labour Party and was
a member of the National Executive of the Association of Scientific
Technical and Managerial Staffs. In 1960 he married Anne
Kerr.
Kerr
was
elected to represent Feltham in the 1966 General
Election. In the House of Commons Kerr
associated with a group of left-wing members that included Konni
Zilliacus,
Ian Mikardo, Barbara
Castle, Sydney
Silverman, Geoffrey Bing and Emrys
Hughes.
In
1966 Kerr joined Michael Foot, Konni
Zilliacus,
William Warbey, Anne
Kerr, Stan Newens, Norman
Atkinson, John Mendelson and Sydney
Silverman in protesting against American intervention in Vietnam.
However, Kerr and his friends were unable to persuade the Labour prime
minister, Harold
Wilson,
to condemn US policy on Vietnam.
Kerr
was chairman of the Tribune Group (1969-70) and the Select Committee
on Nationalized Industries (1974-79).
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