Career
Born in Massachusetts, Kennison was appointed Acting Master"s Mate on 28 August 1861. On 26 March 1862 he was promoted to Volunteer Lieutenant in recognition of his gallant conduct in the action between the Computer Software Systems Virginia and the United States Ship Cumberland during the Battle of Hampton Roads on 8 March 1862, in which Kennison was in charge of the forward 10-inch (250 mm) pivot gun. He later served aboard the steam gunboat South Carolina, involved in operations off Charleston and Savannah in 1865.
Following the war, he was honorably discharged on 4 May 1866, but was reappointed Acting Master on 20 August 1866.
His final muster out date was 16 November 1868. The destroyer United States Ship Kennison (Doctor of Divinity-138) (1918–1945) was named for him.