James A.R. Kinney (February 25, 1879November 6, 1940) was a

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

stenographer,

African Nova Scotian Black Nova Scotians (also known as African Nova Scotians, Afro-Nova Scotians, and Africadians) are Black Canadians whose ancestors primarily date back to the Colonial United States as slaves or freemen, later arriving in Nova Scotia, Canada duri ...

community leader, and co-founder of the Colored Hockey League of the Maritimes.

Early life

James Alexander Ross Kinney was born on February 25, 1879, in

Yarmouth, Nova Scotia Yarmouth is a port town located on the Bay of Fundy in southwestern Nova Scotia, Canada. Yarmouth is the shire town of Yarmouth County, Nova Scotia, Yarmouth County and is the largest population centre in the region. History Originally inhab ...

. He was born to Charlotte Forrest and James E.Y. Kinney, a barber. His maternal grandmother arrived in Halifax from New York in 1789 with the Empire Loyalists, while his grandfather had been enslaved in

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

Career

Kinney joined the Cornwallis Street Baptist Church (now

New Horizons Baptist Church New Horizons Baptist Church (named Cornwallis Street Baptist Church until 2018) is a Baptist church in Halifax, Nova Scotia that was established by Black Refugees in 1832. When the chapel was completed, black citizens of Halifax were reported t ...

) as a teenager. He rose to prominence in both the African United Baptist Association of Nova Scotia (AUBA) and the African Nova Scotian community.Judith Fingard, “KINNEY, JAMES ALEXANDER ROSS,” in Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 16, University of Toronto/Université Laval, 2003–, accessed June 4, 2024, http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/kinney_james_alexander_ross_16E.html In 1895, in Halifax, he organized the

Colored Hockey League The Coloured Hockey League of the Maritimes (CHL) was an all-black ice hockey league founded in Nova Scotia in 1894, which featured teams from across Canada's Maritime Provinces. The league operated for several decades lasting until 1930. Hist ...

with three other Black Baptist leaders and intellectuals: Pastor James Borden, James Robinson Johnston, and

Henry Sylvester Williams Henry Sylvester-Williams (24 March 1867 or 15 February 186926 March 1911) was a Trinidadian lawyer, activist, councillor and writer who was among the founders of the Pan-African movement. As a young man, Williams travelled to the United States ...

. Kinney was the first Black graduate of the Maritime Business College. Afterwards, he started working as a stenographer. His first job began in the office of the criminal lawyer John T. Bulmer. He went on to work at Leslie, Hart & Co. at Pickford & Black's wharf, and by 1900 joined Wm. Stairs, Son and Morrow, Limited, becoming their advertising representative by 1913. A home for orphaned

Black Nova Scotian Black Nova Scotians (also known as African Nova Scotians, Afro-Nova Scotians, and Africadians) are Black Canadians whose ancestors primarily date back to the Colonial United States as slaves or freemen, later arriving in Nova Scotia, Canada dur ...

s was proposed by James Robinson Johnston in 1908. Following the untimely death of Johnston on March 3, 1915, Kinney took over as the Black community's lay minister and lead advocate for building the home. In 1918, he played a key role in fundraising for the construction of the Nova Scotia Home for Colored Children (NSHCC). He was first elected to the Board of Trustees, then appointed secretary and placed in charge of the 1919 campaign, after which he joined the board of management under president

Henry Bauld Henry Gibson Bauld (July 26, 1859 – February 3, 1948) was a merchant and political figure in Nova Scotia, Canada. He represented Halifax County in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 1916 to 1925 as a Liberal member. He was born in ...

. When the Colored Home officially opened in 1921, he became its first superintendent. He chose to leave a profitable accounting job to help orphaned and neglected Black children, earning only a living wage. He was appointed manager of the Nova Scotia Home for Colored Children in April 1925, overseeing its development, finances, and operations. That month, he retired from Wm. Stairs, Son and Morrow, Limited, after 25 years as the advertising manager of the firm. At the time, he was widely known for his advertising and was rated by the press as one of the best in Eastern Canada. He resigned to focus on duties as the NSHCC's manager.

Personal life

His first marriage was to Mary Sarah Allison in Halifax on July 23, 1906. On January 14, 1908, Mary S. Kinney passed away at 28 years old. At age 30, Kinney married Nettie Dorothy Fedelia Martin (sister of Percy Seymour Martin) in Amherst on August 30, 1909. The couple, residing at 134 Creighton Street, had a son named James Alexander Ross Kinney Jr. on December 30, 1910.

Death

James A.R. Kinney died in Halifax, Nova Scotia, on November 6, 1940. He was buried at

Camp Hill Cemetery Camp Hill Cemetery is a cemetery within Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. It is located on Camp Hill, adjacent to Robie Street. History The city's first cemetery, the Old Burying Ground was established in 1749, growing for nearly a century until ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kinney, James A.R. 1879 births 1940 deaths Black Nova Scotians

Early life

Career

Personal life

Death

See also

References