John W. Kern

John W. Kern
Chairman of the Senate Democratic Caucus
In office March 4, 1913 – March 3, 1917
Deputy	J. Hamilton Lewis
Preceded by	Thomas S. Martin
Succeeded by	Thomas S. Martin
United States Senator from Indiana
In office March 4, 1911 – March 3, 1917
Preceded by	Albert J. Beveridge
Succeeded by	Harry New
Member of the Indiana Senate from Marion County
In office 1893–1897 Serving with Romeo F. Stuart, James McHugh
Preceded by	Henry C. Thompson, Henry T. Hudson
Succeeded by	Martin M. Hugg, Harry New
Personal details
Born	(1849-12-20)December 20, 1849 Alto, Indiana, U.S.
Died	August 17, 1917(1917-08-17) (aged 67) Asheville, North Carolina, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Education	University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (LLB)

John Worth Kern (December 20, 1849 – August 17, 1917) was a Democratic United States Senator from Indiana. While the title was not official, he is considered to be the first Senate majority leader (and in turn, the first Senate Democratic Leader), while serving concurrently as chairman of the Senate Democratic Caucus. He was also the Democratic vice presidential nominee in the 1908 presidential election.

Born in Alto, Indiana, Kern practiced law in Kokomo, Indiana, after graduating from the University of Michigan Law School. He won election to the Indiana Senate before serving as the city solicitor of Indianapolis. After running unsuccessfully for the position of Governor of Indiana, Kern was selected as the vice presidential nominee at the 1908 Democratic National Convention. The Democratic ticket of William Jennings Bryan and Kern was defeated by the Republican ticket of William Howard Taft and James S. Sherman.

Kern won election to the United States Senate in 1910, becoming a progressive ally of President Woodrow Wilson. He was elected Chairman of the Senate Democratic Caucus and helped pass several major pieces of legislation, including the Clayton Antitrust Act, the Revenue Act of 1913, and the Federal Reserve Act. He also introduced the Kern Resolution, which led to the investigation of conditions in coal mines, and supported passage of the Seventeenth Amendment. He was defeated for re-election in 1916, losing to Republican Harry Stewart New, and Kern died the following year.