USA > New Jersey > Essex County > Newark > Biographical and genealogical history of the city of Newark and Essex County, New Jersey, V. 1 > Part 60
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JOHN R. HARDIN,
an attorney and counselor at law, of New- ark, was born in Sussex county, New Jer- sey, on the 24th of April, 1860. Soon after his birth his parents, Charles and Abbie M. Hardin, removed to Chester, Morris
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county, where they still make their home. There our subject acquired his preliminary education and prepared for collegiate work. He pursued his college course within the classic halls of Princeton and was gradu- ated with the class of 1880. Determining then to make the practice of law his life work, he entered the law office of McCarter & Keen, of Newark, beginning his studies there in June, 1881, and when that firm was succeeded by McCarter, Williamson & Mc- Carter, in June, 1882, he remained with the latter and continued a careful and system- atic course of reading. In June, 1884, he was admitted to the bar as an attorney, and in June, 1887, as a counselor; he remained with McCarter, Williamson & McCarter until 1889, when he opened an office and began practice alone. He served as attor- ney for the board of health of Newark from April, 1887, to February, 1890, and has been connected with much important liti- gation since his admission to the bar.
Mr. Hardin is married and makes his home in Newark. His political support is given the men and measures of the Democ- racy, but the practice of his profession leaves him little time for active politics. He served as a member of the common council in 1890 and 1891, and in the latter year was elected to represent his district in the state legislature. He is well informed on the issues of the day and the needs of the people, and his service in the assembly proved of material benefit to the district he represented.
MATTHIAS D. DORER,
of Irvington, was born on Grove street, East Orange, March 22, 1867, and is a son of George Dorer. His education was ac-
quired in a public school in East Orange, and at the age of fourteen he was placed in charge of a milk wagon by his father, who was extensively engaged in the dairy busi- ness. For thirteen years he drove that wagon and during the first seven years of the time he made eight trips per week, missing not a single time in all that long period.
In the meantime Mr. Dorer embarked in the brewer grains business on a small scale; but as time passed his trade steadily in- creased and he now furnishes a large num- ber of farmers and dairymen with the pro- duct in that line of the Hauck Brewing Company, of Harrison, with its entire con- sumption of that product. Nor is his attention confined alone to that enterprise. He is a young man, but he possesses ex- cellent business ability and is resourceful and progressive. In the spring of 1890 the business of M. M. Dodd & Company, in which his father was a partner, was re- moved to Irvington, and soon thereafter George Dorer retired from active business, and the farm, with its large dairying and other interests, was placed in the hands of our subject, who has fully demonstrated his ability to manage the same with rare tact and business foresight, so that a good in- come is realized therefrom.
The home relations of Mr. Dorer are very pleasant. He was married on the 19th of March, 1890, the lady of his choice being Effie C. Yates, a daughter of Fred- erick R. Yates and a granddaughter of ex- Mayor Henry J. Yates, late of Newark. Their children are Aubrey Randolph and Herbert Stanley.
In his social relations Mr. Dorer is a Mason, and in his political belief is a Re- publican. He has been pronounced in his
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advocacy of all measures calculated to prove of public benefit, was one of the prime movers in the organization of the Irvington Water Company, was one of the organizers of the fire department of Irving- ton and was foreman of truck No. I. He is accounted one of the local political lead- ers in the Republican party, has served two terms on the township committee, has twice been chairman of the road commit- tee, is a member of the Irvington Republi- can Club, and also belongs to the Irvington Field Club.
WILLIAM B. KINNEY.
None can deny that there is all of wis- dom in the statement of Sumner, that "The true grandeur of nations is in those qualities which constitute the true great- ness of the individual." Each state pre- sents with pride her sons as her jewels. She has nursed among her children those who have become illustrious in religion, in law, in oratory, in statesmanship and in in- timate association with the great produc- tive industries of the world. The subject of this memoir stood distinctly forth as one of the representative men of New Jer- sey, and in his lifetime the people of his state, recognizing his merit, rejoiced in his advancement and in the honors he at- tained, and since his death they have cher- ished his memory.
It is an important public duty to honor and perpetuate, as far as possible, the mem- ory of an eminent citizen,-one who by his blameless and honorable life and distin- guished career reflected credit not only upon his city and state, but also upon the whole nation. Through such memorials as this at hand, the individual and the char-
acter of his services are kept in remem- brance, and the importance of those ser- vices acknowledged. His example, in whatever field his work may have been done, thus stands as an object lesson to those who come after him, and long after all recollection of his personality shall have faded from the minds of men, the less per- ishable record may tell the story of his life and commend his example for imitation.
A native son of the state of New Jersey, William B. Kinney was born at Speedwell, Morris county, on the 4th of September, 1799, his lineage being of illustrious order on either side. His ancestors were num- bered among the early settlers of the state, gave loyal and patriotic representatives to the Continental army in the great struggle for independence, and have contributed in each generation men prominent in public affairs and distinguished in the various paths of life. The father of the subject of this memoir was a son of Sir Thomas Kin- ney, an English baronet, upon whom was conferred the order of knighthood by rea- son of his scientific attainments and high scholarship. He was particularly con- spicuous for his researches in the science of mineralogy, and prior to the Revolution he visited the United States for the purpose of examining the mineral resources of the state of New Jersey. This visit led to his taking up his permanent abode here. He located in Morris county, within whose lim- its the present county of Sussex was then included, and finding there a fruitful field for operations in his line, he made it his home. He eventually received from the crown the appointment as high sheriff, re- taining this incumbency until the Revolu- tion, when he espoused the cause of the colonies and renounced his allegiance to
At B. Kinney
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the crown. The mother of William B. Kinney was Hannah, the daughter of Dr. William Burnet, a lineal descendant of Bishop Burnet, a distinguished clergyman, widely known through his "History of His own Times," and other famous works. The Doctor, from whom Mr. Kinney received his. Christian name, was prominently iden- tified with the history of New Jersey and held rank as one of the distinguished phy- sicians of Newark, was a member of the Continental congress, and surgeon general in the army of the Revolution till the close of the war.
Imbued with the most stalwart patriot- ism, the ancestors of our subject, in both the paternal and maternal lines, did valiant service for the colonies in the war of the Revolution, and that loyalty has ever since been an inherent characteristic. The fa- ther, Abraham Kinney, was an active par- ticipant in the war of 1812, holding official commission. His only brother, Thomas T. Kinney, Sr., was a lawyer of great abil- ity, and a member of the legislature in 1817.
While yet a boy William B. Kinney came into personal touch with the duties of the loyal son of the republic, having done service as a bearer of dispatches during the progress of the war of 1812, and, as it was the wish of his honored father that he should become permanently identified with the military forces of the nation, he was admitted as a cadet at West Point. Cir- cumstances, however, withdrew him from a field of endeavor in which he would have undoubtedly attained a measure of dis- tinction, but which would not, in all prob- ability, have enabled liimn to realize his full potentiality or the plenitude of power which made him so useful a member of
society and so important a factor in the public affairs of the nation. His father died soon after the son's admission to West Point, and his mother, a woman of great force of character and of marked discern- ment, believing that his talents as an orator and writer-even then strongly manifest- would insure him greater success and wider scope of action in some other field of en- deavor, withdrew him from the military academy and placed him in the care of Mr. Whelply, author of "The Triangle," and father of the late Chief Justice Whelply. Under this able preceptor he made rapid progress, and subsequently became a pupil of that eminent classical scholar, Rev. John Ford, D. D., the founder of the old Bloom- field Academy, a collegiate institution of high reputation in its day. He subse- quently entered upon the study of law in his brother's office, and later continued his work in this line with Mr. Hornblower (his cousin by marriage), who was subsequently chief justice of the state.
With a distinct predilection for literary and metaphysical study and research, it was but a natural sequence that Mr. Kin- ney should ultimately withdraw from the legal field and turn his attention to the sphere wherein he realized that his maxi- mum powers for accomplishment lay. In the latter part of the year 1820 he assumed the editorial charge of the New Jersey Eagle, a weekly paper published in the city of Newark, and this position he retained until 1825, when he went to New York for the purpose of continuing his favorite studies. In the national metropolis lie was very prominently identified with the estab- lishing of the Mercantile Library, of which lie was chosen librarian. Incidentally lie became very closely associated with the
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Harper Brothers, who had but recently given inception to that publishing business which has grown to be one of the most magnificent in the world. He figured as their friend and confidential adviser, and they had very frequent recourse to his able judgment and discriminating taste in se- lecting books for publication. A mind of peculiar receptivity, broad scope and strong analytical and logical power was his, and about this time he became deeply interested in the theological and psychical discussions of the day, and the intensity of his nature was such that he gave himself so closely to study that his health was undermined, ren- dering it necessary for him to abate tem- porarily his unceasing application. With a view to recuperating his energies and with, undoubtedly, an inclination to resume his labors in the editorial field, which once entered ever allures, he returned to Newark and, in 1833, was prevailed upon to as- sume the management of the Daily Adver- tiser, which was the first, and at that time the only, daily paper in the state. With this he consolidated the Sentinel of Free- dom, a weekly paper which had been estab- lished in 1796 and continuously published through the long intervening term of years. It has been said that to this jour- nal Mr. Kinney "gave a literary tone so high that his criticisms had more influence on the opinions of literary men than those of any other journalist of the time." He had so distinguished himself in the field of journalism and belles lettres that in 1836 the honorary degree of Master of Arts was conferred upon him by the College of New Jersey, at Princeton, and in 1840 he was elected a trustee of that institution. With- in the same year he was honored in being elected a presidential delegate to the na-
tional convention which nominated Gen- eral William H. Harrison for the chief ex- ecutive office, but he declined to attend. In 1844 he was again chosen as a delegate- at-large, as associate of the late Chancellor Green, to the Whig convention, at Balti- more, and on this occasion he so employed his persuasive eloquence and masterly in- tellectuality, as to be largely instrumental in securing the nomination of his friend, the honored statesman and illustrious son of New Jersey, the late Theodore Freling- huysen, as candidate for vice-president with Mr. Clay. While undoubtedly he was not without that honorable ambition which is so powerful and useful an incentive to ac- tivity in public affairs, he regarded the pur- suits of private life as abundantly worthy of his best efforts, and he was ever ready to subordinate personal ambition to public good, and sought rather the benefit of others than personal aggrandizement. He was in no sense a seeker for public prefer- ment, but such a man could scarcely avoid the summons to positions of public trust and responsibility. In 1843 he very re- luctantly accepted the nomination for con- gress from the Whig convention of the fifth district of New Jersey, having been finally prevailed upon to believe that fealty and political duty demanded his acceptance. At the ensuing election the Democrats ef- fected a fusion with the Independent Whig faction, and after a very spirited contest the candidate of the latter was victorious at the polls.
Still further honors were to be tendered Mr. Kinney. In 1851 he was appointed United States minister to Sardinia, and on the eve of his departure to assume his new diplomatic office he was tendered a fare- well banquet which was an event of dis-
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tinguished order, the leading men of all political parties participating and doing honor to one whose ability and sterling manhood could not but appeal to them. Chief Justice Hornblower presided, and among the speakers were Rev. Dr. S. I. Prime, of New York, and many others dis- tinguished in church and state. As touch- ing his official service we can not, perhaps, do better at this juncture than to quote from a sketch of his life published in the History of Essex and Hudson Counties, New Jersey, in 1884:
"His reception at Turin, the capital of Sardinia, was warm, and he soon became a favorite in the court circle, which was just then engaged in settling the details of a constitutional government. Count Cavour and other master minds of that kingdom were in constant consultation with Mr. Kinney with reference to the practical working of our republican system, and his influence was strongly apparent in the es- tablishment of the liberal institutions of Italy. He also rendered signal services to the government of Great Britain in con- sultation with their ambassador, Sir Ralph Abercrombie, and for some important di- plomatic business intrusted to him received a handsome official acknowledgment in a special dispatch from Lord Palmerston.
"Through Mr. Kinney's instrumentality while in Turin, the Waldenses received great encouragement and sustaining aid. The most important, perhaps, of Mr. Kin- ney's services to his country was in con- nection with Kossuth, the Hungarian ex- ile, then at Constantinople. The govern- ment of the United States had offered to transport him to America in a national ship, detached from the Mediterranean squadron at Spezzia, which was in the Sar-
dinian dominions and subject to Mr. Kin- ney's supervision. He was thus enabled to give prompt instructions to the com- mander and information to his own gov- ernment of the objects of the distinguished fugitive. Mr. Webster, at that time secre- tary of state, being forewarned by Mr. Kin- ney's correspondence, thwarted Kossuth's philanthropic but impracticable efforts to enlist the United States in a foreign com- plication.
"Upon the expiration of his term of of- fice the Sardinian ministry offered to unite in a request to the United States govern- ment to allow him to remain in Turin, but he preferred to remove to Florence, where he could join the society of the Brownings, the Trollopes, Hiram Powers and other distinguished men, who were his warm per- sonal friends. During his residence in the latter city he became interested in the ro- mantic history of the Medici family, and the new information concerning them which his position enabled him to acquire, induced him to begin a historical work on the subject, which promised to be of great importance, but which he never com- pleted."
The war of the Rebellion was about drawing to a close at the time when Mr. Kinney returned with his family to his home in New Jersey, where he thenceforth lived in practical retirement until the hour when death released the silver cord of life and the mortal essence of a truly noble man was merged into immortality. His latter days were attended with severe suf- fering, which he bore with unflinching for- titude, sustained by that faith which makes faithful even to the end. His death occurred on the 21st of October, 1880, and the community was called upon to mourn
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the loss of a helpful friend, the state of one of her most eminent citizens, and the na- tion of an honored statesman and true patriot.
Mr. Kinney was twice married. His first wife was Mary Chandler, of Elizabeth, New Jersey, who died in 1841, leaving one son, Thomas T. Kinney, to whom individ- ual reference is made in the following pages, and to whom the proprietorship of the Daily Advertiser was transferred some years before the death of his father. Mr. Kinney's second marriage was to the only surviving sister of the late Hon. William E. Dodge, of New York, and they became the parents of two daughters, one of whom became the wife of William I. Kip, son of Bishop Kip, of California; and the other of Nelson S. Easton, of New York.
The one attribute which most perfectly, perhaps, expresses the character of the honored subject of this memoir was his faithfulness. He was faithful to every in- terest committed to his charge,-faithful in all the relations of life. Whatsoever his hand found to do he did with all his might and with a deep sense of conscientious obli- gation.
THOMAS T. KINNEY.
In this age of colossal enterprise and marked intellectual energy, the prominent and successful men are those whose abil- ities, persistence and courage lead them into large undertakings and to assume the responsibilities and labors of leaders in their respective vocations. Success is methodical and consecutive, and however much we may indulge in fantastic theoriz- ing as to its elements and causation in any isolated instance, yet in the light of sober
investigation we find it to be but the result of the determined application of one's abil- ities and powers along the rigidly defined line of labor. America owes much of her progress and advancement to a position foremost among the nations of the world to her newspapers, and in no line has the inci- dental broadening out of the sphere of use- fulness been more marked than in this same line of journalism. In the newspaper field have been enlisted men of broad mental grasp, cosmopolitan ideas and notable busi- ness sagacity. Prominent among the men who have given the state of New Jersey prestige in this direction must be placed Thomas T. Kinney, the subject of this re- view. His identification with the "art preservative of all arts" is one of both in- heritance and personal predilection, and though he had prepared himself for a pro- fession of different order, his natural vehicle of expression has ever been the pen, and the versatility of his faculties sought the most natural outlet in journalism.
Thomas T. Kinney, the only son of Will- iam B. and Mary (Chandler) Kinney, the former of whom is the subject of the memoir just preceding, was born in the city of Newark. Doubly fortified by the environments of a home of distinct culture and refinement, his preliminary educational training began in the old Newark Acad- emy, which was located on the site of the present fine government building, corner of Broad and Academy streets. He there- after continued his classical studies under that able preceptor, Rev. William R. Weeks, D. D., and under such direction prepared himself for matriculation in the College of New Jersey, at Princeton, at which institution he graduated in 1841. The faculty then included the scholarly
Thos Y. Kinney.
/
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president, the late Dr. Carnahan, and such other distinguished educators as Drs. James W. Alexander, Albert B. Dod and Joseph Henry, all of whom have passed away. Mr. Kinney early manifested a penchant for natural science, and his earnestness and de- votion to this line of study and investiga- tion attracted to him the attention of Pro -- fessor Joseph Henry, who selected him for his assistant through his senior year,-the intimacy thus formed having its aftermath in a friendship which continued inviolate until the death of the Professor. Mr. Kin- ney eventually received from his alına mater the degree of Master of Arts, while in the interim he had taken up the study of law in the office of Hon. Joseph P. Brad- ley, late associate justice of the United States supreme court. He was admitted to the bar in 1844, but never entered upon the active practice of the profession for which he had thus fitted himself.
In the year 1851 the father of our sub- ject was appointed United States minister to Sardinia, and upon the son devolved the cares and responsibilities of managing the private and business affairs of the former. He thus came forthwith into that field of labor in which he has won both distinction and success,-that of journalism. When Mr. Kinney became the managerial head of the Newark Daily Advertiser the tele- graphic service was practically in its in- fancy. The mail and railway service was crude and inadequate, and local facilities circumscribed. In those days he watched every department of his paper with a scrutiny that never relaxed, introducing improved machinery and business methods, expanding the province of his paper and making it national in tone while local in color. He was prominently concerned in
the inauguration of that system of news- gathering which gave inception to that comprehensive and effective vehicle of transferring information from all parts of the globe, the Associated Press. He eventually became the sole editor and pro- prietor of the Newark Daily Advertiser. The pages of his paper from the beginning expressed his individuality, and through his well trained assistants, who subordi- nated themselves, in both thought and ex- pression, to his dictates, the paper pre- sented daily the ultimate of intellectual and literary force. In the qualities of simplicity without vulgarity, force without excite- ment, precision without rigidity, the edi- torial page of the Advertiser was a model.
Though almost perforce identified inti- mately with the local. financial, industrial and political movements of the time, Mr. Kinney never consented to accept any po- litical office, having twice declined offers from the national administrations to two important foreign missions. He was one of the projectors of the Newark Board of Trade, and was its delegate to the conven- tion which organized the National Board in Philadelphia. He was one of the or- ganizers of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, has maintained a deep interest in its work and was its presi- dent for a long term of years. He is also a member of the State Boards of Geology and Agriculture, of the latter of which he was president from 1878 to 1882. When the legislature authorized the conversion of the Soldiers' Children's Home at Trenton, into an asylum for indigent deaf and dumb children he was appointed one of its origi- nal trustees, and so remained till the insti- tution was placed under the board of edu- cation.
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A stalwart Republican in his political proclivities, Mr. Kinney has labored zeal- ously for the cause. In 1860 he was a dele- gate to the national convention, at Chi- cago, and was one of the most uncompro- mising and indefatigable advocates of nominating Abraham Lincoln for the pres- idency, his influence in that ever memor- able convention being unmistakable. Mr. Kinney is identified with various financial, industrial and social enterprises of impor- tance. Among these is the Fidelity Trust Company, of which he has been president from its beginning. He is also a director of the National State Bank and president of the City Ice Company, a director of the Electric Light and Power Company, the Stevens & Condit Transportation Com- pany and the Navesink Park Company, on Sandy Hook Bay. He is also a member of the Board of East Jersey Proprietors, a life member of the New Jersey Historical Society and a hereditary member of the Society of the Cincinnati in the State of New Jersey.
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