William J. Kerby


William Joseph Kerby, S.T.L., Ph.D. was a writer, sociologist and a Catholic social worker.

Life

William Joseph Kerby, the son of Daniel Kerby and Ellen Rochford, was born in Lawler, Iowa, on February 20, 1870. He attended school in his hometown and graduated from St. Joseph’s College, Dubuque, Iowa in 1889. He went to St. Francis Seminary in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he was ordained in 1892 at the age of 22. Kerby then furthered his studies at the Catholic University of America, receiving a Bachelor of Sacred Theology and a Licentiate in Theology.
Kerby’s mentor was Belgian moral theologian, Fr. Thomas Bouquillon, a proponent of social science and analysis in moral living in addition to more established seminary curriculum. His interest became focused on sociology, and he studied abroad in order to help direct the developing field’s new department at CUA. Kerby studied in Bonn and Berlin, Germany and Louvain, Belgium, where he receiving a Doctorate of Social and Political Science from the University of Louvain in 1897. His doctoral dissertation was an examination of American socialism.
In 1897 Kerby returned to CUA as its first professor of sociology. He often spoke of the need to get to the root causes of poverty rather than solely focusing on immediate relief for those in need. Kerby advocated using social remedies to alleviate poverty. He embraced the progressive reforms of the period calling for child labor laws, fair wages, and public health reforms. Kerby was a strong supporter of high education for women.
In 1910 Kerby was among the founders of the National Conference of Catholic Charities and was selected as the organization's first executive secretary. Kerby turned the title over to his protege John O'Grady in 1920.

Honors

Kerby received an honorary doctorate of Laws from Notre Dame University in 1913.

Works