William Burnet Kinney was an American journalist and diplomat. During his career, he worked for various periodicals including New Jersey Eagle, Harper & Brothers, Newark Daily Advertiser; was active in politics and in 1851 was appointed as United States minister to Sardinia.
Background
William Burnet Kinney was born on September 04, 1799 in Speedwell, New Jersey, United States, the youngest son of Abraham and Hannah (Burnet) Kinney and the grandson of Sir Thomas Kinney, an English baronet, who settled near Morristown prior to the Revolution. On his mother's side he was a descendant of William Burnet, colonial official. At the age of thirteen he was the constant companion of his father, a colonel in the War of 1812, and on several occasions acted as a dispatch bearer.
Education
It was his father's intention that he should pursue a military career and accordingly William was sent to the Military Academy at West Point. While William was studying there his father died and at the wish of his mother he resigned from the institution and studied under the direction of private tutors. Two years later he entered upon the study of law in the office of his brother, Thomas T. Kinney, working under the guidance of his cousin, Joseph C. Hornblower, later chief justice of the state of New Jersey. His tastes were so decidedly in the direction of a literary calling, however, that he gave up the law without being admitted to the bar and went into journalism. He received the honorary degree of Master of Arts from the College of New Jersey in 1836.
Career
In 1820 Kinney became editor of the New Jersey Eagle, a weekly paper of Newark. In 1825 he moved to New York, became literary adviser to Harper & Brothers and served for a time as the librarian of the Mercantile Library. After ten years in New York City he returned to Newark to assume the editorship of the Newark Daily Advertiser, at that time the only daily paper in the state. He became the largest stockholder of this paper and united with it the Sentinel of Freedom.
In 1843, he entered actively into politics as the Whig candidate for Congress from the fifth district but was defeated. The next year he represented his party as the delegate-at-large from New Jersey to the Whig Convention in Baltimore. For his staunch support of the Whig party in his newspaper, he was appointed by President Taylor the representative of the United States to the court of Sardinia at Turin. He was commissioned chargé on April 22, 1850, and served until October 8, 1853. It was during these years that the Sardinian government was being reconstructed along constitutional lines and he was often consulted by Cavour and other Italian leaders as to the practical workings of the American governmental system. His influence was continually being exercised in the interest of liberal and humanitarian measures, an instance of which was his success in procuring toleration for the Waldensian sect which was given permission to erect a place of worship in Turin, the first church building they had ever been allowed to own in that city. His services were recognized by his being chosen to lay the corner-stone.
The episode of Louis Kossuth's visit to the United States occurred during Kinney's service as chargé at Turin, and his letters to Secretary Daniel Webster and to Commodore Charles W. Morgan, in command of the United States Mediterranean Squadron, aided in preventing the American government from establishing any official connection with Kossuth's cause which would have involved grave international complications. He remained abroad after the expiration of his term as chargé, removing from Turin to Florence where he became well acquainted with the Brownings and began a history of the Medici family, which he did not live to complete. In 1865 he returned to Newark but was not actively engaged again in journalism.
Achievements
William Burnet took an active part in the organization of the Mercantile Library and was instrumental in procuring the vice-presidential nomination for Theodore Frelinghuysen. He also rendered important services to his country while on diplomatic mission in Italy.
Politics
Kinney was a member of the Whig Party.
Membership
Kinney was an original member of the New Jersey Historical society.
Connections
Kinney's first wife was Mary Chandler Kinney who died in 1841, leaving two children. His second wife, whom he married in November 1841, was Elizabeth Clementine (Dodge) Stedman Kinney. There were two children of this marriage.
