# John F. Kinney

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American politician (1816–1902)

For other people named John Kinney, see [John Kinney (disambiguation)](/source/John_Kinney_(disambiguation)).

John F. Kinney Justice of the Supreme Court of Iowa In office 1847–1854 Appointed by Ansel Briggs Delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives from Utah Territory's at-large district In office March 4, 1863 – March 3, 1865 Preceded by John M. Bernhisel Succeeded by William H. Hooper Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Territory of Utah In office 1854–1857 Appointed by Franklin Pierce In office 1860–1863 Appointed by James Buchanan Personal details Born John Fitch Kinney (1816-04-02)April 2, 1816 New Haven, New York, U.S. Died August 16, 1902(1902-08-16) (aged 86) Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S. Spouses Hannah Hall ​ (m. 1838⁠–⁠1895)​ Lucy Jane Leonard ​ ​ (m. 1899⁠–⁠1902)​ Signature

**John Fitch Kinney** (April 2, 1816 – August 16, 1902) was a prominent American [attorney](/source/Attorney_at_law_(United_States)), judge, and [Democratic](/source/Democratic_Party_(United_States)) politician. He served as Justice of the [Supreme Court of Iowa](/source/Iowa_Supreme_Court), twice as [Chief Justice of the Supreme Court](/source/List_of_Utah_Supreme_Court_Chief_Justices) of the [Territory of Utah](/source/Utah_Territory) and one [term](/source/Term_of_office) as the Territory of Utah's [delegate](/source/Delegate_(United_States_Congress)) in the [House of Representatives](/source/United_States_House_of_Representatives) of the [38th Congress](/source/38th_United_States_Congress).

## Biography

He was born in [New Haven, New York](/source/New_Haven%2C_New_York), the fourth child and second son of Stephen Fitch Kinney (1789–1872) and Abby Brockway (1788–1824). Having completed public school and a more select school, he entered the Oswego Academy at age 16. After two years of higher learning there, he entered the [law office](/source/Law_firm) of [Orville Robinson](/source/Orville_Robinson), with whom he studied law for two and half years. He then moved to [Marysville, Ohio](/source/Marysville%2C_Ohio), where he resumed his law studies. He was admitted to the [bar](/source/Bar_association) in 1837 and began the [practice of law](/source/Practice_of_law) in Marysville.[1]

On December 29, 1838, Kinney and Hannah Hall (1816–1895) were married in [Mount Vernon, Ohio](/source/Mount_Vernon%2C_Ohio). He lived there and practiced successfully until the summer of 1844, when he moved to [Lee County, Iowa](/source/Lee_County%2C_Iowa). He was twice elected secretary of the Territorial Legislative Council, in 1845 and 1846, and was [prosecuting attorney](/source/Prosecutor) for Lee County in 1846 and 1847. In June 1847, he was made president of the [Democratic Convention](/source/Democratic_National_Convention), and before leaving [Iowa City](/source/Iowa_City%2C_Iowa), which was then the [capital](/source/List_of_capitals_in_the_United_States) of the new state, he was appointed, by [Governor](/source/Governor) [Briggs](/source/Ansel_Briggs), as Justice of the [Supreme Court of Iowa](/source/Iowa_Supreme_Court), to fill a vacancy. Kinney served in the office under the Governor's appointment for nearly two years. He was then elected Judge of the Supreme Court for six years, by the joint assembly of the [Legislature](/source/Iowa_General_Assembly). In January 1854, he resigned in order to remove to Utah Territory.[1]

[President](/source/President_of_the_United_States) [Pierce](/source/Franklin_Pierce) had appointed Kinney as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the [Territory of Utah](/source/Utah_Territory), and he served in that position from January 1854 until 1857, just before the [Utah War](/source/Utah_War). He then removed to [Nebraska City, Nebraska](/source/Nebraska_City%2C_Nebraska), where he resumed his law practice. He was re-appointed Chief Justice of the Territory of Utah by President [Buchanan](/source/James_Buchanan) and served from June 26, 1860, until March 1863.[2] He was directly involved in the events leading up to the [Morrisite War](/source/Morrisite_War) of 1862, and allowed a condemnation of Territorial Governor [Stephen S. Harding](/source/Stephen_Selwyn_Harding) to be read into the public record after Harding issued a blanket [pardon](/source/Pardon) for all [Morrisites](/source/Church_of_the_Firstborn_(Morrisite)) convicted in connection with the war.

Kinney was elected as the Territory of Utah's Democratic [Delegate](/source/Delegate_(United_States_Congress)) to the [38th Congress](/source/38th_United_States_Congress) and served from March 4, 1863, until March 3, 1865. He was not a [candidate](/source/Candidate#Candidates_in_elections) for re-nomination in 1864. He returned to Nebraska City, and resumed his law practice. In February 1867, President [Johnson](/source/Andrew_Johnson) appointed Kinney a Special Indian [Commissioner](/source/Commissioner) to visit the [Sioux](/source/Sioux). He was appointed by President [Arthur](/source/Chester_A._Arthur) as agent of the Yankton Sioux in [South Dakota](/source/South_Dakota), and served from December 11, 1884, until January 1, 1889, when he resigned, in order to escape the rigors of the northern climate, and again resumed the practice of law in Nebraska City.

In 1890, Kinney removed to [San Diego](/source/San_Diego), California. His wife Hannah died there on May 1, 1895. He was Chairman of the Democratic Central Committee in 1896, when [San Diego County](/source/San_Diego_County%2C_California) was carried for [William Jennings Bryan](/source/William_Jennings_Bryan) in the [Presidential election](/source/Election), and at the close of his official term, in 1898, received from the County Convention a vote of thanks and an expression of confidence for the able and satisfactory manner in which he had discharged his duties. Kinney was again married on May 9, 1899, to Lucy Jane Leonard (1826–1911), widow of Moses Thurston (1817–1873), a [Mormon](/source/Mormon) pioneer and old friend from Utah. Though they were married in San Diego, the Kinneys made their home in [Salt Lake City](/source/Salt_Lake_City).

John Fitch Kinney died at age 86 in Salt Lake City.[3] His remains were then returned to San Diego, where he is interred in [Mount Hope Cemetery](/source/Mount_Hope_Cemetery_(San_Diego)), alongside his first wife.

## See also

- [United States congressional delegates from the Territory of Utah](/source/Utah's_congressional_delegations#U.S._House_of_Representatives)

## References

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Whitney_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Whitney_1-1) Whitney, Orson F. (October 1904). [*History of Utah*](https://archive.org/details/historyofutahcom04whitrich/page/668/mode/1up). Vol. IV–Biographical. Salt Lake City: [George Q. Cannon & Sons](/source/George_Q._Cannon_%26_Sons). pp. 668–671. Retrieved May 2, 2022 – via Internet Archive.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-bioguide.congress.gov_2-0)** ["Biographical Directory of the United States Congress"](http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=K000225). *Bioguide.Congress.gov*. Retrieved April 7, 2008.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** ["Hon. John F. Kinney Dead At Salt Lake – Prominent Jurist And Legislator Of Several States – Delegate in Congress and Justice of State Supreme Bench—Married Widow of Moses Thurston at San Diego Two Years Ago"](https://www.newspapers.com/clip/100910864/hon-john-f-kinney-dead-at-salt-lake/). *[Los Angeles Times](/source/Los_Angeles_Times)*. Salt Lake City (Utah). August 17, 1902. p. 2. Retrieved May 2, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.

## External links

- United States Congress. ["KINNEY, John Fitch (id: K000225)"](http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=K000225). *[Biographical Directory of the United States Congress](/source/Biographical_Directory_of_the_United_States_Congress)*. at the [Biographical Directory of the United States Congress](/source/Biographical_Directory_of_the_United_States_Congress)

- [John F. Kinney](http://politicalgraveyard.com/bio/kinney.html) at the [Political Graveyard](/source/The_Political_Graveyard)

- [John F. Kinney](https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/10789087) at [Find a Grave](/source/Find_a_Grave)

- ["Kinney, John Fitch"](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Appletons%27_Cyclop%C3%A6dia_of_American_Biography/Kinney,_John_Fitch). *[Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography](/source/Appletons'_Cyclop%C3%A6dia_of_American_Biography)*. 1892.

- [John F. Kinney](http://www.iowacourts.gov/wfdata/frame1206-1434/pressrel4.asp) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20150924035917/http://www.iowacourts.gov/wfdata/frame1206-1434/pressrel4.asp) September 24, 2015, at the [Wayback Machine](/source/Wayback_Machine) at Iowa Judicial Branch Past Iowa Supreme Court Justices

U.S. House of Representatives Preceded by John Milton Bernhisel Delegate to the United States Congress from the Territory of Utah March 4, 1863 – March 3, 1865 Succeeded by William Henry Hooper

v t e United States representatives from Utah Territorial (1851–1895) Seat Bernhisel Hooper Bernhisel Kinney Hooper G. Cannon Caine Rawlins F. Cannon One at-large seat (1895–1913) Seat Allen W. King Sutherland Howell Two at-large seats (1913–1915) Seat Howell Seat Johnson Districts (1915–present) (3rd district established in 1983) (4th district established in 2013) 1st district Howell Welling Colton Murdock Granger Stringfellow Dixon Peterson Burton McKay Hansen Bishop Moore 2nd district Mays Leatherwood Loofbourow Robinson Dawson Bosone Dawson D. King Lloyd D. King Lloyd W. Owens Howe Marriott Monson W. Owens Shepherd Greene Waldholtz Cook Matheson Stewart Maloy 3rd district Nielson Orton C. Cannon Chaffetz Curtis Kennedy 4th district Matheson Love McAdams B. Owens

This article incorporates [public domain material](/source/Copyright_status_of_works_by_the_federal_government_of_the_United_States) from [*Biographical Directory of the United States Congress*](http://bioguide.congress.gov). [Federal government of the United States](/source/Federal_government_of_the_United_States).

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [John F. Kinney](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_F._Kinney) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_F._Kinney?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.