William Kenney

For the former NFL quarterback and Missouri politician, see Bill Kenney.

William Patrick Kenney
Kenney in 1918
President of the Great Northern Railway
In office
January 1, 1932 – January 24, 1939
Preceded byRalph Budd
Personal details
Born(1870-01-10)January 10, 1870
Watertown, Wisconsin
DiedJanuary 24, 1939(1939-01-24) (aged 69)
St. Paul, Minnesota

William Patrick Kenney (January 10, 1870 – January 24, 1939) was a president of the Great Northern Railway.[1][2]

Biography

He was born on January 10, 1870, in Watertown, Wisconsin.[1]

As a boy in Minneapolis, Kenney delivered newspapers. He used a goat to pull his wagonload of papers until the neighbors objected to the smell and the goat was sold to a rancher in Montana. Later, Kenney joined the Great Northern Railway, which needed a trademark. He suggested the image of the goat to James J. Hill, the "Empire Builder" who ran the railroad, and it was adopted.[3]

In 1931, he was vice president and director of traffic at the Great Northern Railway. He replaced Ralph Budd as president on January 1, 1932.[4]

He died at St. Joseph's Hospital in St. Paul, Minnesota, on January 24, 1939.[5][1]

References

  1. ^ a b c "W.P. Kenney Dies. Head Of Railway. President of Great Northern. Began Career as Newsboy in Minneapolis". New York Times. Associated Press. January 25, 1939. Archived from the original on October 13, 2017. Retrieved September 18, 2017.
  2. ^ The Great Northern Goat, vol. 10–15, 1939, p. 11
  3. ^ ""Kenney's Goat" Story Recalled", Spokane Daily Chronicle, p. 1, November 12, 1931
  4. ^ "New Railway Chief 44 Years In Work. Will Head Railway". New York Times. December 27, 1931. Archived from the original on December 1, 2016. Retrieved September 18, 2017.
  5. ^ Downs, Winfield Scott (1940), Encyclopedia of American Biography, American Historical Company