Frank Rowe Kenison (November 1, 1907 – December 14, 1980)Paul Carrier,
F.R. Kenison, Former Chief Justice, Dies
, ''Concord Monitor'' (December 15, 1980), p. 1
16
Frank Rowe Kenison,73, New Hampshire Jurist
, ''New York Newsday'' (December 15, 1980), p. 27. was a New Hampshire lawyer and judge who served as

Attorney General of New Hampshire The attorney general of New Hampshire is a constitutional officer of the U.S. state of New Hampshire who serves as head of the New Hampshire Department of Justice. , the state's attorney general is John Formella. Qualifications and appointmen ...

from 1940 to 1942, and on the

New Hampshire Supreme Court The New Hampshire Supreme Court is the state supreme court, supreme court of the U.S. state of New Hampshire and sole appellate court of the state. The Supreme Court is seated in the state capital, Concord, New Hampshire, Concord. The Court is ...

from 1946 to 1977, serving as chief justice for 28 years, from 1952 to 1977.

Early life, education, and military service

Born in

Conway, New Hampshire Conway is a New England town, town in Carroll County, New Hampshire, Carroll County, New Hampshire, United States. It is the most populous community in the county, with a population of 9,822 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, down from ...

, to Arthur Edon and Isadore Rowe Kenison, Kenison received a

B.A. A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree ...

from

Dartmouth College Dartmouth College ( ) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, Dartmouth is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the America ...

in 1929 followed by a law degree from the

Boston University School of Law The Boston University School of Law (BU Law) is the law school of Boston University, a private research university in Boston. Established in 1872, it is the third-oldest law school in New England, after Harvard Law School and Yale Law School. Ap ...

in 1932, gaining

admission to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

in New Hampshire the same year.Supreme Court of New Hampshire,
An Introduction to the Supreme Court of New Hampshire
(August 1977), p. 17. He then entered the practice of law in Conway, and served as the solicitor of

Carroll County, New Hampshire Carroll County is a county in the U.S. state of New Hampshire. As of the 2020 census, the population was 50,107, making it the third-least populous county in New Hampshire. Its county seat is Ossipee. The county was created in 1840 and orga ...

, from 1935 to 1937. In 1937, Kenison became an assistant attorney general of New Hampshire, and on December 16, 1940, Governor Francis P. Murphy named Kenison

. In 1942, Kenison took a leave of absence from the position to serve in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

.Council Splits On Party Lines, Approves Wheeler By 3-2
, ''The Portsmouth Herald'' (August 18, 1942), p. 2. He endorsed his assistant, Ernest D. D'Amours, to succeed him, but the state council approved Governor Robert O. Blood's nominee, Stephen M. Wheeler, by a 3-2 vote. Kenison ultimately served with the U.S. Naval Reserve until 1945, and then returned to the position of attorney general from 1945 to 1946.

Judicial service

On February 8, 1946, Kenison, then 38 years old, was nominated by Governor Charles M. Dale to a seat on the state supreme court set to be vacated by Justice Elwin L. Page reaching the state's mandatory retirement age of 70. On February 29, 1952, Governor

Sherman Adams Llewelyn Sherman Adams (January 8, 1899 – October 27, 1986) was an American businessman and politician, best known as White House Chief of Staff for President Dwight D. Eisenhower, the culmination of an 18-year political career that also inclu ...

nominated Kenison for elevation to chief justice, to succeed the retiring Chief Justice Francis Wayland Johnston. Kenison became "known nationally as an instructor of judges", and served as chairman of the Chief Justices of the United States. He himself served until he reached the mandatory retirement age in 1977. After his retirement from the court, Kenison became chairman of the board of overseers of the

Franklin Pierce Law Center The University of New Hampshire Franklin Pierce School of Law is a public law school in Concord, New Hampshire, United States, associated with the University of New Hampshire. It is the only law school in the state and was founded in 1973 by Ro ...

, serving in that capacity until his death.

Personal life and death

On April 8, 1939, Kenison married Loretta M. Landry (1913–2017), with whom he had three children. He died at a hospital in

Concord, New Hampshire Concord () is the capital city of the U.S. state of New Hampshire and the county seat, seat of Merrimack County, New Hampshire, Merrimack County. As of the 2020 United States census the population was 43,976, making it the List of municipalities ...

, following a brief illness, at the age of 73. He was interred at Blossom Hill Cemetery.

Honors

Kenison is the chapter namesake for the

Phi Alpha Delta Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity, International ( or P.A.D.) is a North American professional fraternity composed of pre-law and law students, legal educators, attorneys, judges, and government officials. It is one of the largest professional law ...

chapter at the

University of New Hampshire School of Law The University of New Hampshire Franklin Pierce School of Law is a public law school in Concord, New Hampshire, United States, associated with the University of New Hampshire. It is the only law school in the state and was founded in 1973 by Ro ...

, chartered in 1974.Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity, International: The History Continues...
(2002), p. 143. Following his retirement from the court in 1977, the courthouse was renamed the Frank Rowe Kenison Supreme Court Building.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kenison, Frank R. 1907 births 1980 deaths People from Conway, New Hampshire Dartmouth College alumni Boston University School of Law alumni New Hampshire attorneys general United States Navy personnel of World War II Justices of the New Hampshire Supreme Court Chief justices of the New Hampshire Supreme Court 20th-century New Hampshire state court judges