William Kinney (1781 – October 1, 1843) was an American pioneer, politician, and merchant who was the third Lieutenant Governor of Illinois. Born in

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...

, Kinney came to the

Illinois Territory The Territory of Illinois was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 1, 1809, until December 3, 1818, when the southern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Illinois. Its ...

at a young age with his family. In 1809, he founded a successful dry goods store on the road between the towns of Belleville and

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to Lebanon–Syria border, the north and east and Israel to Blue ...

. This made him a prominent citizen of St. Clair County, and Kinney was elected to the Illinois Senate when the body was formed in 1818. In 1826, Kinney was elected Lieutenant Governor under

Ninian Edwards Ninian Edwards (March 17, 1775July 20, 1833) was a founding political figure of the State of Illinois. He served as the first and only governor of the Illinois Territory from 1809 to until the territory was dissolved in 1818. He was then one of ...

. However, Kinney developed a pattern of financial mismanagement during this term that would haunt him for the rest his life. Twice an unsuccessful candidate for

Governor of Illinois The governor of Illinois is the head of government of Illinois, and the various agencies and departments over which the officer has jurisdiction, as prescribed in the state constitution. It is a directly elected position, votes being cast by p ...

, Kinney was named president of the state's board of public works. Kinney nearly bankrupted the state by funding ambitious projects in the wake of the Panic of 1837. The board was liquidated and the state was in the process of suing Kinney when he died in 1843.

Biography

William Kinney was born near

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...

in 1781. In 1793, he came to the

Indiana Territory The Indiana Territory, officially the Territory of Indiana, was created by a congressional act that President John Adams signed into law on May 7, 1800, to form an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 4, ...

with his family, settling in New Design in what is now

Monroe County, Illinois Monroe County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2020 census, it had a population of 34,962. Its county seat and largest city is Waterloo. Monroe County is included in the St. Louis, MO-IL Metropolitan Stati ...

. Kinney married when he was nineteen and his wife helped to teach him how to read. In 1803, he built an farm northeast of Belleville, on the road to the town of

. He purchased surrounding land until his estate measured . In 1809, a merchant named VonPhul from

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

sold Kinney some bolts of cotton cloth with the intent of resale. Kinney established a dry goods store, and it eventually grew to become one of the largest in the area. Kinney converted to the Baptist Church and became a preacher. When the state of

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...

was approved in 1818, Kinney was elected to the

1st Illinois General Assembly The 1st Illinois General Assembly, consisting of the Illinois Senate and the Illinois House of Representatives, met from October 4, 1818, to March 31, 1819, during the first two years of Shadrach Bond's governorship, at The Kaskaskia State House. ...

in the

state senate A state legislature in the United States is the legislative body of any of the 50 U.S. states. The formal name varies from state to state. In 27 states, the legislature is simply called the ''Legislature'' or the ''State Legislature'', whil ...

, serving a two-year term. He was re-elected to the body in 1822 for the 3rd General Assembly. In 1826, Kinney was elected the third Lieutenant Governor of Illinois, serving with Governor

. Kinney struggled to balance his political and mercantile responsibilities and found himself in financial ruin by the end of his four-year term. Kinney was an ardent supporter of

slavery Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

and was able to maintain a sustainable lifestyle using slave labor in his orchards. He was an early leader in the state's

Democratic-Republican Party The Democratic-Republican Party, known at the time as the Republican Party and also referred to as the Jeffersonian Republican Party among other names, was an American political party founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in the earl ...

, then became a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

. He ran for

in 1830, but was defeated by John Reynolds. He again ran for the position in 1834, but was defeated by Joseph Duncan. In 1836, the state legislature elected Kinney to the Illinois Board of Public Works, who promptly named him president of the organization. He made many poor investments, worsened by the Panic of 1837, and nearly bankrupted the state. However, Kinney was credited for helping to convince

Lyman Trumbull Lyman Trumbull (October 12, 1813 – June 25, 1896) was a lawyer, judge, and United States Senator from Illinois and the co-author of the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. Born in Colchester, Connecticut, Trumbull esta ...

to come from

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its capita ...

to join the board; Trumbull would become one of the most prominent politicians in the state's history. The board was liquidated and the state sued Kinney for concealing funds.

Personal life

Kinney had three sons and three daughters. Eldest son Samuel graduated from the

United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a fort, since it sits on strategic high groun ...

but died of consumption. Second son George D. served in the

Black Hawk War The Black Hawk War was a conflict between the United States and Native Americans led by Black Hawk, a Sauk leader. The war erupted after Black Hawk and a group of Sauks, Meskwakis (Fox), and Kickapoos, known as the " British Band", cros ...

but died shortly afterward. Youngest son William C. was a successful lawyer in Belleville who married the daughter of

Elias Kane Elias Kent Kane (June 7, 1794December 12, 1835) was the first Illinois Secretary of State and a U.S. Senator from Illinois. Early life He was born in New York City, to merchant Capt. Elias Kent Kane and Deborah VanSchelluyne of Dutchess County, ...

and served in the Illinois House of Representatives. Kinney's eldest daughter married politician John Thomas, who served in both state houses. Kinney died on October 1, 1843 at his home in St. Clair County. Kinney was buried in Shiloh Valley Cemetery in

Shiloh, Illinois Shiloh is a village in St. Clair County, Illinois, United States. The 2010 census recorded a population of 12,651. Shiloh is located within the St. Louis metropolitan area History A site known as "Three Springs" for its geological characteri ...

. Early

Oregon Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...

politician Robert Crouch Kinney was his nephew.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kinney, William 1781 births 1843 deaths American people of Scottish descent Illinois Democratic-Republicans Democratic Party Illinois state senators Lieutenant Governors of Illinois People from St. Clair County, Illinois Politicians from Louisville, Kentucky 19th-century American politicians People from Monroe County, Illinois