William John Kenney (June 16, 1904 – January 16, 1992) wasUnited StatesAssistant Secretary of the Navy 1945–46,Under Secretary of the Navy 1947–1949, and the operating chief of theMarshall Plan from 1950 to 1952.
W. John Kenney was born inOklahoma on June 16, 1904. He grew up in Oklahoma,Washington, D.C.,Los Angeles, andCarmel-by-the-Sea, California. He attendedStanford University, graduating in 1926, and then attendedHarvard Law School, graduating in 1929. After law school, he moved toSan Francisco, andpracticed law there until 1936.
In 1936, Kenney began his career of public service when he was appointed chief of the oil and gas unit of theU.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. After two years in government, he practiced law in Los Angeles until 1941, when he returned to Washington, D.C., as special assistant toJames Forrestal, firstUnder Secretary of the Navy. He later served as the secondGeneral Counsel of the Navy from February 5, 1945, to April 2, 1945.
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President of the United StatesHarry Truman appointed KenneyAssistant Secretary of the Navy in 1946, and he served in that capacity from March 1, 1946, to September 19, 1947. Truman then promoted Kenney toUnder Secretary of the Navy and he served in that office from September 19, 1947, to September 24, 1949. Under theMarshall Plan, President Truman named Kenney director of the Economic Cooperation Mission to Britain, and then, in 1950, he became the operating chief of the entire Marshall Plan under its director,W. Averell Harriman. Kenney would later support Harriman during Harriman's 1952 and 1956 attempts to becomePresident of the United States.
With the ending of the Marshall Plan in 1952, Kenney returned to the private practice ofcorporate law as apartner at thelaw firm of Sullivan, Shea & Kenney. In 1970, he left for the firm of Cox, Langford & Brown, and then in 1973, moved toSquire, Sanders & Dempsey, where he was a partner until he retired in 1989.
During his many years as a high-powered attorney in Washington, D.C., Kenney was involved in many outside organizations. He helped to found thePaul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies atJohns Hopkins University. He was atrustee ofThe George C. Marshall Foundation. For a number of years, he sat on theboard of directors ofRiggs Bank. He was chairman of the Washington, D.C., chapter of theAmerican Red Cross. Socially, he was head of the prestigiousAlibi Club.
Kenney died of pneumonia at his home in Washington, D.C., on January 16, 1992.[1]
Kenney and his wife, Elinor, had two daughters and two sons.[1] In 1957, his daughter Priscilla Kenney marriedEdward Streator, a diplomat and futureUnited States ambassador to theOrganisation for Economic Co-operation and Development under PresidentRonald Reagan,[2][3] at the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul, popularly known as theWashington National Cathedral.[4] In 1981, their three children (Kenney's grandchildren), donated toSt. John's Church Lafayette Square astained glass window in the Streators' honor.[5] Kenney's granddaughter Elinor Streator had a society wedding in 1986.[6]
W. John Kenney, a top official in the United States Navy during World War II and in the Marshall Plan program for postwar recovery overseas, died Thursday at his home in Washington. He was 87 years old and died of pneumonia, his family said. ...
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| Preceded by | General Counsel of the Navy February 5, 1945 – April 2, 1945 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Assistant Secretary of the Navy March 1, 1946 – September 19, 1947 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Under Secretary of the Navy September 19, 1947 – September 24, 1949 | Succeeded by |
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