Thomas (Tom) M. Kerr, Jr.

Tom Kerr enjoyed a noteworthy 37 years teaching antitrust law and business ethics at the Tepper School of Business, and served as the university’s pre-law advisor for more than 20 years.

His distinguished career also included time spent in corporate law, government service, the military, and teaching at three additional regional universities. 

Prior to joining the Carnegie Mellon University  faculty, Kerr served as assistant general counsel for Westinghouse Electric for nine years and worked in the U.S. Justice Department’s antitrust division for seven years. Earlier, he spent five years in the Marine Corps, enlisting the day after the Pearl Harbor attack. He was awarded two Purple Hearts and a Bronze Star for his service.

Kerr was born in New Jersey and earned his undergraduate degree from Lafayette College before receiving his law degree from George Washington University. Much of his life was devoted to progressive causes including spending 20 years as president of the state chapter of the ACLU and numerous contributions to the civil rights movement.

In tribute to his remarkable career and appreciation for the years spent at Carnegie Mellon, the pre-law society was renamed in his honor in 2009 and an annual Thomas M. Kerr Lecture on Law and American Society was established.