James Lawrence Kernan was a theater manager and philanthropist based in Baltimore, Maryland.

He born in Baltimore, Maryland at the southeast corner of Pratt and High streets, on July 29, 1838. He was educated at Loyola College in Maryland

Loyola College in Maryland

Loyola University Maryland is a Roman Catholic, Jesuit private university in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Established as Loyola College in Maryland by John Early and eight other members of the Society of Jesus in 1852, it is one of 28 member institutions of the Association of Jesuit Colleges...

, Baltimore, and Mount St. Mary's College, Emmitsburg, Maryland

Emmitsburg, Maryland

-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 2,290 people, 811 households, and 553 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,992.9 people per square mile . There were 862 housing units at an average density of 750.2 per square mile...

. After working in the dry goods business and as a clerk in the transportation department of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Company, he joined the Confederate army at the beginning of the Civil War

American Civil War

The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...

. He was captured in October 1864 and held as a prisoner at Point Lookout

Point Lookout, Maryland

Point Lookout is a Maryland state park at the southern tip of St. Mary's County, Maryland. It is a peninsula formed by the confluence of the Chesapeake Bay and the Potomac River....

 until the close of the war. In February 1866, he founded the "Kernan Enterprises," a combination hotel and Rathskeller

Rathskeller

Ratskeller is a name in German-speaking countries for a bar or restaurant located in the basement of a city hall or nearby...

 connected to the Maryland Theater

Maryland Theater (Baltimore)

The Maryland Theater was a music venue in Baltimore, Maryland, home to that city's first jazz band, led by John Ridgely. It was originally built by James L. Kernan, as a vaudeville house, in 1903, and included a rathskeller in the basement. Kernan also owned a large hotel, in the same building as...

 and Auditorium Theater. During his lifetime he founded a hospital now known as the James Lawrence Kernan Hospital

James Lawrence Kernan Hospital

James Lawrence Kernan Hospital is a historic hospital building and grounds located in Baltimore City and in Woodlawn in Baltimore County, Maryland. It was built between 1860 and 1867 as Radnor Park, a two-story, five-bay, Victorian mansion...

. Near the end of his life he operated a Yiddish theater in the building now known as the Hendler Creamery

Hendler Creamery

Hendler Creamery is a historic industrial complex located at Baltimore, Maryland, United States. It consists of two adjacent building complexes. The original building complex encompasses a full city block, contains a brick Romanesque Revival cable car powerhouse built in 1892, with additions...

. He died at the Hotel Kernan

Hotel Kernan

Hotel Kernan, also known as the Congress Hotel, is a historic hotel located at Baltimore, Maryland, United States. It is a six story plus mansard roof, French Renaissance Revival-style structure detailed in brick and terra cotta. It is constructed of steel and reinforced concrete and is "U"-shaped...

in 1912.