Robert Wilson Kennerly,
Yuma politician and community leader, served on the Yuma City Council from 1962 to 1966, as Chairman of the
Yuma County Board of Supervisors from 1976 to 1984, and on the Arizona Board of Pardons and Parole from 1984 to 1989.
Political life: 1958–1989
In 1958, Kennerly entered Arizona politics by running for Precinct Committeeman in Phoenix's 31st District. He was elected and served a full term, becoming active in community organizations. In 1962, he was elected to the Yuma City Council, and in 1966 he ran unsuccessfully for reelection. For the next ten years, he served actively on the District 4 Council of Governments. In 1976, Kennerly was elected as a Democrat to the Board of Supervisors in Yuma County's District 1, which is a very diverse socio-economic district, and he was reelected in 1980, serving as Chairman during both terms. In 1984, Governor
Babbitt
Babbitt may refer to:
Fiction
* ''Babbitt'' (novel), a 1922 novel by Sinclair Lewis
** ''Babbitt'' (1924 film), a 1924 silent film based on the novel
** ''Babbitt'' (1934 film), a 1934 film based on the novel
*Babbit, the family name of the titl ...
appointed him to the Arizona Board of Pardons and Parole where he served until 1989. Kennerly also served on the Commission on Appellate and Supreme Court Appointments for the State of Arizona and as Self-Governance Coordinator/Planner and Director of Gaming for the
Cocopah Indian Tribe, instrumental in the development of an 18-hole golf course, a 500-unit RV park, a bingo hall, and a casino.
Community leader
As a community leader, Kennerly was one of the founders of the Southern Arizona Bank of Yuma, and he served on the Board of the Yuma County Chamber of Commerce. He was the first President of Caballeros de Yuma and served as the Publicity Director for the Yuma Chapter of the
NAACP of which he is a lifetime member. He was also a charter member and President of both the Sunrise Optimist Club and the Fort Yuma Rotary Club, Board member of the Yuma Golf and Country Club, and founder, charter President and long-time Board member of the Yuma Boys Club.
[http://www.azabgc.org/bgcayuma.htm , Boys & Girls Club of Yuma]
Family
Kennerly is the son of Samuel Wilson Kennerly of
Harrington, Delaware, and Margaret Claire Kelly of
North Attleborough, Massachusetts
North Attleborough, alternatively spelled North Attleboro, is a town in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 30,834 at the 2020 United States Census.
The villages of Attleboro Falls and North Attleborough Center are ...
. In 1946, he moved to
Arizona
Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...
where, in 1948, he married Jeannette Wade. Together, they had four daughters, Robin, Kathryn, Carol and Bunny.
References
External links
Western Arizona Council of Governments
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kennerly, Robert Wilson
1931 births
Politicians from Indianapolis
Politicians from Detroit
Living people