Date Published:
January 2005

L’Encyclopédie de l’histoire du Québec / The Quebec History Encyclopedia

Sir Edward Kenny

Kenny, Sir Edward (1800-1891), receiver-general of Canada (1867-9), was born in Kerry county, Ireland, in July, 1800. He came to Halifax, Nova Scotia, in 1824, and entered the service of a firm of wholesale dry-goods merchants. In 1828 he and his brother established the firm of T. and E. Kenny. In 1841 he was appointed a member of the Legislative Council of Nova Scotia, and from 1856 to 1867 he was president of that body. In 1867 he was called to the Senate of Canada, and at the same time he was appointed receiver-general in the first government of the Dominion of Canada. His appointment was largely due to the fact that he combined the qualifications of coming, like Charles Tupper, from Nova Scotia , and of being, like D'Arcy McGee, an Irish Roman Catholic. There being no room for both Tupper and McGee in the cabinet, they both stood aside in favour of Kenny. In 1869 he exchanged his portfolio for that of president of the council; and in 1870 he resigned from the cabinet to accept appointment as administrator of the government of Nova Scotia. He was administrator of the province for a few months, and was then created a knight bachelor. In 1876 he vacated his seat in the Canadian Senate, having been absent from parliament during two consecutive sessions; and he died at Halifax, Nova Scotia, on May 16, 1891. In 1832 he married Anne, daughter of Michael Forrestell, and by her he had several children.

Source : W. Stewart WALLACE, ed., The Encyclopedia of Canada, Vol. III, Toronto, University Associates of Canada, 1948, 396p., p. 327.