Henry Lawrence Kinney (June 3, 1814 – March 3, 1862) was an American politician, military officer, and later

filibuster A filibuster is a political procedure in which one or more members of a legislative body prolong debate on proposed legislation so as to delay or entirely prevent a decision. It is sometimes referred to as "talking a bill to death" or "talking ...

known for founding what became the city of

Corpus Christi, Texas Corpus Christi ( ; ) is a Gulf Coast of the United States, coastal city in the South Texas region of the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat and largest city of Nueces County, Texas, Nueces County with portions extending into Aransas County, T ...

. Born in

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

, Kinney moved to

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

in 1838 and settled near present-day Brownsville. He served in both houses of the

Texas Legislature The Texas State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Texas. It is a bicameral body composed of a 31-member Senate and a 150-member House of Representatives. The state legislature meets at the Capitol in Austin. It is a p ...

. He was killed in a gunfight in

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

in 1862.

Kinney County, Texas Kinney County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 3,129. Its county seat is Brackettville. The county was created in 1850 and later organized in 1874. It is named for Henry Lawrence Kinn ...

is named for him.

Corpus Christi

By 1841, Kinney began trading and ranching near what is now

on a site known as the Old Indian Trading Grounds. In 1844, in San Antonio, he participated in a riding/shooting contest, which included, Texas Rangers, Commanches and Mexican vaqueros. Ranger John McMullen, was awarded the 1st prize, and Kinney was awarded the second prize. He was a noted horseman and kept some of the finest horses in the state. He participated in several skirmishes with Commanches, who often attacked the Corpus Christi area. He was elected as a

senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or Legislative chamber, chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior ...

to the Ninth Texas Congress and served as a delegate to the Convention of 1845. At the beginning of the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War (Spanish language, Spanish: ''guerra de Estados Unidos-México, guerra mexicano-estadounidense''), also known in the United States as the Mexican War, and in Mexico as the United States intervention in Mexico, ...

, he was on General James Pinckney Henderson's campaign staff, campaigning in northern Mexico. At the end of the war, he returned to the Corpus Christi area and continued trading. Kinney established Corpus Christi as Kinney's Rancho and also established Nuecestown, which is now a

ghost town A ghost town, deserted city, extinct town, or abandoned city is an abandoned settlement, usually one that contains substantial visible remaining buildings and infrastructure such as roads. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economi ...

within the city limits of Corpus Christi.

Nicaragua filibuster

In 1854, largely financed by New York backers, Kinney purchased millions of acres of land in

Nicaragua Nicaragua, officially the Republic of Nicaragua, is the geographically largest Sovereign state, country in Central America, comprising . With a population of 7,142,529 as of 2024, it is the third-most populous country in Central America aft ...

under dubious legal circumstances with the intent to start a colony. This practice, known as

filibustering A filibuster is a political procedure in which one or more members of a legislative body prolong debate on proposed legislation so as to delay or entirely prevent a decision. It is sometimes referred to as "talking a bill to death" or "talking ...

, was popular in the years before the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

, both as a means of carrying out the nation's so-called

manifest destiny Manifest destiny was the belief in the 19th century in the United States, 19th-century United States that American pioneer, American settlers were destined to expand westward across North America, and that this belief was both obvious ("''m ...

and, in some cases, as a tactic to expand U.S. territory in which

slavery Slavery is the ownership of a person as property, especially in regards to their labour. Slavery typically involves compulsory work, with the slave's location of work and residence dictated by the party that holds them in bondage. Enslavemen ...

was permitted. Also fueling popular support for American filibusters was Britain's domination of the eastern coast of

Central America Central America is a subregion of North America. Its political boundaries are defined as bordering Mexico to the north, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest. Central America is usually ...

— Mosquitia. In February 1855, Kinney was warned that his proposed colony might violate the U.S.

Neutrality Act of 1794 The Neutrality Act of 1794 was a Law of the United States#Federal law, United States law which made it illegal for a United States citizen to wage war against any country at peace with the United States. The Act declares in part: If any person ...

. In April, he and fellow filibuster Joseph W. Fabens were arrested in New York and their vessel blockaded by the U.S. Navy at its East River wharf. Released on bail, Kinney slipped out of New York and traveled to Nicaragua. On August 17, Kinney wrote to a friend: "I am at last on Central American soil with 100 men and more. This is a beautiful place and is to be the principal of the world. My force will be augmented in three weeks to 2,000 men, when I shall move up country. I have a larger space to act in than I had at Corpus Christi and the result of my undertakings in Central America can hardly be imagined." Kinney's followers elected him governor. By his own authority, he could raise armies and establish martial law. He appointed a Cabinet, flew his own flag, and established a newspaper called ''The Central American''. With a handful of followers he launched a failed revolt against the Nicaraguan government and the regime of fellow American William Walker, a more successful filibuster who, after supporting the Democrats against the Legitimists in Nicaragua's civil war, took power himself. Opposed by both the U.S. and Nicaraguan governments, as well as shipping tycoon

Cornelius Vanderbilt Cornelius Vanderbilt (May 27, 1794 – January 4, 1877), nicknamed "the Commodore", was an American business magnate who built his wealth in railroads and shipping. After working with his father's business, Vanderbilt worked his way into lead ...

, Kinney soon gave up his dream. In February 1856, Walker—now head of state—annexed all of Kinney's domain for Nicaragua.James T. Wall, Manifest Destiny Denied, University Press of America, 1981

Seminole War

Kinney began using the title "Colonel" after claiming to have earned it during the

Seminole War The Seminole Wars (also known as the Florida Wars) were a series of three military conflicts between the United States and the Seminoles that took place in Florida between about 1816 and 1858. The Seminoles are a Native American nation which co ...

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

, but there is no evidence that he took part in that conflict. He may have been inspired by "Colonel" Walker, who progressed to "General" when his accession to power made him commander-in-chief of Nicaragua's armed forces.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kinney, Henry People from Pennsylvania Politicians from Corpus Christi, Texas Republic of Texas senators Texas state senators Members of the Texas House of Representatives 1814 births 1862 deaths American expatriates in Nicaragua American filibusters (military) American proslavery activists People from Kinney County, Texas Deaths by firearm in Mexico 19th-century members of the Texas Legislature