William Kennon Sr. Explained

William Kennon
Birthname:William Kennon, Sr.
State:Ohio
Constituency:10th district
Term Start:March 4, 1829
Term End:March 3, 1833
Preceded:John Davenport
Succeeded:Joseph Vance
Constituency2:11th district
Term Start2:March 4, 1835
Term End2:March 3, 1837
Preceded2:James Martin Bell
Succeeded2:James Alexander Jr.
Office3:Ohio Supreme Court Judge
Term Start3:December 1854
Term End3:March 1856
Preceded3:William B. Caldwell
Succeeded3:Jacob Brinkerhoff
Appointer3:William Medill
Party:Jacksonian
Otherparty:Democratic, Republican
Birth Date:14 May 1793
Birth Place:Uniontown, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Death Place:St. Clairsville, Ohio, U.S.
Resting Place:Methodist Cemetery
St. Clairsville, Ohio, U.S.
Children:3
Alma Mater:Franklin College

William Kennon Sr. (May 14, 1793 – November 2, 1881) was an American lawyer and politician who served three terms as a U.S. Representative from Ohio. He served in Congress from 1829 to 1833, then again from 1835 to 1837.

He was a cousin of Congressman William Kennon Jr.

Early life and career

Born in Uniontown, Pennsylvania, Kennon moved with his parents to Belmont County, Ohio, in 1804. He attended the common schools and Franklin College, New Athens, Ohio. He studied law. He was admitted to the bar in 1824 and commenced practice in St. Clairsville, Ohio.

Congress

Kennon was elected as a Jacksonian to the Twenty-first and Twenty-second Congresses (March 4, 1829 – March 3, 1833). He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1832 to the Twenty-third Congress.

Kennon was elected to the Twenty-fourth Congress (March 4, 1835  - March 3, 1837). He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1836 to the Twenty-fifth Congress.

Later career

He served as president judge of the court of common pleas 1840–1847. He served as delegate to the second State constitutional convention in 1850. He was appointed to fill the unexpired term of William B. Caldwell as judge of the Ohio Supreme Court in 1854 by Governor William Medill. He resigned in 1856 and resumed the practice of law in St. Clairsville, Ohio. Kennon became affiliated with the Republican Party at the outbreak of the Civil War.

Family life

Kennon married Mary Ellis on June 16, 1825, and they had three children.[1]

Death

Kennon died in St. Clairsville, Belmont County, Ohio, November 2, 1881. He was interred in Methodist Cemetery.

Notes and References

  1. http://www.supremecourt.ohio.gov/SCO/formerjustices/bios/kennon.asp The Supreme Court of Ohio and The Ohio Judicial System - William Kennon