WILLIAM P. KENNEY AND FAMILY:
An Inventory of Their Papers at the Minnesota Historical Society
Manuscripts Collection
OVERVIEW
| Creator: | Kenney, William P. 1870-1939, creator. | |
| Title: | William P. Kenney and family papers. | |
| Dates: | 1914-1941 (bulk 1931-1939). | |
| Language: | Materials in English. | |
| Abstract: | Correspondence, biographical and financial materials, clippings, scrapbooks, and other papers of Great Northern Railway president William P. Kenney and his family. Much of the material concerns Kenney's philanthropic support of institutions and organizations. A panoramic Student Army Training Corps photograph taken at the University of Wisconsin (1918) includes Kenney's two sons among the assembled soldiers. | |
| Quantity: | 1.8 cubic feet (2 boxes, 1 volume in 1 partial box, and 1 photograph in 1 oversize folder). | |
| Location: | See Detailed Description for shelf locations. |
BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE
William Patrick
Kenney, son of Patrick G. and Rose (Caldwell) Kenney, was born January 10, 1870, in
Watertown, Wisconsin. With his parents, he moved to Minneapolis as a youth and was
educated in the Minneapolis public schools. In 1887 he began work with the Chicago
Great Western Railway. In 1902 he became Chief Clerk in the freight department of
the Great Northern Railway, advancing to Vice President-Traffic in 1912. In 1932 he
succeeded Ralph Budd and as President of the Great Northern Railway, a position he
held at the time of his death in St. Paul on January 24, 1939. He was married to
Margaret (Fallon) Kenney. Kenney was one of the last of the James J. Hill-trained
executives of the Great Northern Railway.
ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION
Availability:
The collection is open for research use.
Preferred Citation:
[Indicate the cited item and/or series here]. William P. Kenney Papers. Minnesota Historical Society.
See the Chicago Manual of Style for additional examples.
Accession Information:
Accession number: 17,006
Processing Information:
Processed by: David B. Peterson, July 2015
Catalog ID number: 990083471620104294
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
| Box | |||||||||||
| 142.K.7.6F | 1 | Biographical materials, undated, 1931, 1936-1939. | |||||||||
| Correspondence and miscellaneous papers, 1918-1939. 25 folders. | |||||||||||
| Both business and personal materials. Includes condolences on the death of daughter Margaret (1928) and correspondence, telegrams, and other messages of condolence on the death of Kenney (1939). | |||||||||||
| William Caldwell Kenney, 1940-1941. | |||||||||||
| Son of William P.; includes a card announcing his appointment as a Knight Commander of the Most Illustrious Royal Order of the Star of Boreas. | |||||||||||
| Box | |||||||||||
| P3074 | 2 | Income tax returns, 1921-1936. | |||||||||
| Scattered years; includes some returns of Margaret Kenney. | |||||||||||
| Investments, 1916-1938. 2 folders. | |||||||||||
| Otter Tail Power Company: Plat of transmission line to Kenney Camp on Pomme de Terre Lake, 1932. | |||||||||||
| Stock and bond ledger, 1914-1927. | |||||||||||
| Scrapbooks and clippings: | |||||||||||
| Photocopies of clippings, undated, 1931-1939. | |||||||||||
| Mainly concern Kenney's assumption of the Great Northern presidency (1931), extortion attempts (1938), and Kenney's death (1939). | |||||||||||
| Scrapbooks, 1931. 2 folders. | |||||||||||
| Concern Kenney's appointment as Great Northern President. | |||||||||||
| 142.H.19.8F-2 | Scrapbook, 1939. 1 volume. | ||||||||||
| Clippings and telegrams concerning Kenney's death and legacy. | |||||||||||
| Folder | |||||||||||
| 142.J.2.1-11 | 1 | Panoramic photograph of the Student Army Training Corp at the University of Wisconsin, 1918. | |||||||||
| The group includes William Caldwell Kenney and Charles T. Kenney, sons of William P. Kenney. | |||||||||||
CATALOG HEADINGS
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the catalog of the Minnesota Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons or places should search the catalog using these headings.
- Topics:
- Executives -- Minnesota.
- Philanthropists -- Minnesota.
- Persons:
- Kenney, William C. (William Caldwell).
- Kenney family.
- Organizations:
- Great Northern Railway Company (U.S.) -- Presidents.
- United States. Army. Students' Army Training Corps.
- Document Types:
- Photographs.
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