John Worth Kern (December 20, 1849 - August 17, 1917) was a U.S. Democratic politician from Indiana. Born in Alto, Indiana , Kern studied law at the University of Michigan. He began to practice law in Kokomo, Indiana, where he served as city attorney (1871-1884). He was elected to the Indiana state senate in 1893, serving for four years, serving at the same time as assistant U.S. Attorney for Indiana. From 1897 to 1901 he was city solicitor of Indianapolis, and was the unsuccessful Democratic candidate for Governor of Indiana in 1900 and 1904. In 1908, he was the Democratic vice presidential candidate on William Jennings Bryan's third run for the presidency. In 1910, he was elected to the United States Senate. He was defeated for reelection in 1916, and died soon after in Asheville, North Carolina.