John E. Kenna

John E. Kenna

John Edward Kenna (April 10, 1848 – January 11, 1893) was an American politician who was a Senator from West Virginia from 1883 until his death.

Kenna was born near St. Albans, in Kanawha County, Virginia, which became part of the state of West Virginia in 1863. He had little education, and at the age of 16 he served in the "Iron Brigade" with General Joseph O. Shelby in the Confederate States Army 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 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 in 1876. While in the House he championed railroad 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 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 on several issues and indicted the Senate Republican majority for failure to pass tariff reforms. His brilliant career was cut short with his sudden death at the age of 44 on January 11, 1893.

In 1901, the state of West Virginia donated a marble statue of Kenna to the U.S. Capitol's National Statuary Hall Collection.

External links

* [http://www.aoc.gov/cc/art/nsh/kenna.cfm Architect of the Capitol/Capitol Complex/Art/John E. Kenna]
* [http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=K000099 US Congress Biographical Directory]


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу

Look at other dictionaries:

  • John Edward Kenna — John E. Kenna John Edward Kenna (* 10. April 1848 bei St. Albans, Kanawha County, Virginia; † 11. Januar 1893 in Washington D.C.) war ein US amerikanischer Politiker (Demokratische Partei), der d …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • John E. Kenna — John Edward Kenna (* 10. April 1848 bei St. Albans, Kanawha County, Virginia; † 11. Januar 1893 in Washington D.C.) war ein US amerikanischer Politiker (Demokratische Partei), der den Bu …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Kenna (disambiguation) — Kenna is a recording artist.Kenna may also refer to: *several hurricanes; see Hurricane Kenna (disambiguation) *Kenna, West Virginia, small community in the United States *Kenna, New Mexico, small unincorporated village in the United States *The… …   Wikipedia

  • Kenna (Begriffsklärung) — Kenna ist der Name mehrerer Personen: Kenna, US amerikanischer Musiker Jeff Kenna (* 1970), irischer Fußballspieler und trainer John E. Kenna (1848–1893), US amerikanischer Politiker Michael Kenna (* 1953), britischer Fotograf Siehe auch Hurrikan …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • John D. Rockefeller IV — Jay Rockefeller John Davison „Jay “ Rockefeller IV (* 18. Juni 1937 in New York City) ist ein US amerikanischer Politiker und gehört der Demokratischen Partei an. Er war von 1977 bis 1985 der 29. Gouverneur von West Virginia und ve …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • John Davison Rockefeller IV — Jay Rockefeller John Davison „Jay “ Rockefeller IV (* 18. Juni 1937 in New York City) ist ein US amerikanischer Politiker und gehört der Demokratischen Partei an. Er war von 1977 bis 1985 der 29. Gouverneur von West Virginia und ve …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • John James Davis — (* 5. Mai 1835 in Clarksburg, Virginia; † 19. März 1916 ebenda) war ein US amerikanischer Politiker. Zwischen 1871 und 1875 vertrat er den ersten Wahlbezirk des Bundesstaates West Virginia i …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • John Kee — (* 22. August 1874 in Glenville, Gilmer County, West Virginia; † 8. Mai 1951 in Washington D.C.) war ein US amerikanischer Politiker. Zwischen 1933 und 1951 vertrat er den fünften Wahlbezirk des Bundesstaates West Virginia im US… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • John M. Slack — John Mark Slack, Jr. (* 18. März 1915 in Charleston, West Virginia; † 17. März 1980 in Alexandria, Virginia) war ein US amerikanischer Politiker. Zwischen 1959 und 1963 vertrat er den sechsten und von 1963 bis 1980 den dritten Wahlbezirk des… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • John Bell (actor) — John Anthony Bell OBE AM (born 1 November 1940) is an acclaimed Australian actor and theatre personality. In a career of acting in, directing, and managing theatres, John Bell has been instrumental in shaping the Australian theatre industry.… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”