John Edward Kenna (April 10, 1848January 11, 1893) was an American politician who was a Senator from

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the B ...

from 1883 until his death.

Biography

Kenna was born in Kanawha County, Virginia (now

, near the city of

St. Albans St Albans () is a cathedral city in Hertfordshire, England, east of Hemel Hempstead and west of Hatfield, north-west of London, south-west of Welwyn Garden City and south-east of Luton. St Albans was the first major town on the old Roman r ...

) and lived his early life at Upper Falls, where his father was lockmaster and owned a

sawmill A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes (dimensi ...

. He had little education, and at the age of 16 he served in the "Iron Brigade" with General

Joseph O. Shelby Joseph Orville "J.O." Shelby (December 12, 1830 – February 13, 1897) was a senior officer of the Confederate States Army who commanded cavalry in the Trans-Mississippi Theater of the American Civil War. Early life and education Joseph Orvil ...

in the

Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...

and was wounded. After returning home, he read law and was admitted to the bar in 1870. He became very active in the emerging

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

of West Virginia. He rose from prosecuting attorney of Kanawha County in 1872 to Justice ''pro tempore'' of the county circuit in 1875, and to the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

in 1876. While in the House he championed

railroad Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

legislation and crusaded for aid for slack-water navigation to help the coal, timber, and salt industries in his state. These activities earned him a seat in the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

in 1883, where he continued fighting for his two causes. Kenna became Democratic minority leader and emerged as a powerful and controversial speaker on the issue of the independence of the executive branch of the government. He forcefully defended President

Grover Cleveland Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837June 24, 1908) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 22nd and 24th president of the United States from 1885 to 1889 and from 1893 to 1897. Cleveland is the only president in American ...

on several issues and indicted the Senate

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

majority for failure to pass tariff reforms. Kenna was a practicing

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

and member of the congregation at St. Joseph's on Capitol Hill in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

His career was cut short with his sudden death at the age of 44 on January 11, 1893. Kenna is the namesake of the town of Kenna, West Virginia. In 1901, the state of West Virginia donated a marble statue of Kenna to the

U.S. Capitol The United States Capitol, often called The Capitol or the Capitol Building, is the seat of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, which is formally known as the United States Congress. It is located on Capitol Hill at ...

National Statuary Hall Collection The National Statuary Hall Collection in the United States Capitol is composed of statues donated by individual states to honor persons notable in their history. Limited to two statues per state, the collection was originally set up in the old ...

References

External links

Architect of the Capitol/Capitol Complex/Art/John E. KennaUS Congress Biographical Directory
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kenna, John E. 1848 births 1893 deaths 19th-century American judges 19th-century American lawyers 19th-century American politicians 19th-century Roman Catholics American lawyers admitted to the practice of law by reading law Catholics from West Virginia Confederate States Army personnel County prosecuting attorneys in West Virginia Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from West Virginia Democratic Party United States senators from West Virginia Lawyers from Charleston, West Virginia Military personnel from West Virginia People from St. Albans, West Virginia People of West Virginia in the American Civil War Politicians from Charleston, West Virginia West Virginia circuit court judges West Virginia lawyers

Biography

See also

References

External links