William Patrick Kenney (January 10, 1870 – January 24, 1939) was a president of the Great Northern Railway.

Biography

He was born on January 10, 1870, in

Watertown, Wisconsin Watertown is a city in Dodge and Jefferson counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Most of the city's population is in Jefferson County. Division Street, several blocks north of downtown, marks the county line. The population of Watertown was 2 ...

. As a boy in

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

, Kenney delivered newspapers. He used a

goat The goat or domestic goat (''Capra hircus'') is a domesticated species of goat-antelope typically kept as livestock. It was domesticated from the wild goat (''C. aegagrus'') of Southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the a ...

to pull his wagonload of papers until the neighbors objected to the smell and the goat was sold to a rancher in Montana. Later, Kenney joined the Great Northern Railway, which needed a trademark. He suggested the image of the goat to

James J. Hill James Jerome Hill (September 16, 1838 – May 29, 1916) was a Canadian-American railroad director. He was the chief executive officer of a family of lines headed by the Great Northern Railway, which served a substantial area of the Upper Midwes ...

, the "Empire Builder" who ran the railroad, and it was adopted. In 1931, he was vice president and director of traffic at the Great Northern Railway. He replaced

Ralph Budd Ralph (pronounced ; or ,) is a male given name of English, Scottish and Irish origin, derived from the Old English ''Rædwulf'' and Radulf, cognate with the Old Norse ''Raðulfr'' (''rað'' "counsel" and ''ulfr'' "wolf"). The most common forms ...

as president on January 1, 1932. He died at St. Joseph's Hospital in St. Paul, Minnesota, on January 24, 1939.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kenney, William P. 1870 births 1939 deaths People from Watertown, Wisconsin 20th-century American railroad executives Great Northern Railway (U.S.)