John Henry Kinkead
| John Henry Kinkead | |
|---|---|
 |
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| 1st Governor of District of Alaska | |
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In office July 4, 1884 – May 9, 1885 |
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| Nominated by | Chester A. Arthur |
| Preceded by | LCDR Henry E. Nichols, USN (as Commander of the Department of Alaska) |
| Succeeded by | Alfred P. Swineford |
| 3rd Governor of Nevada | |
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In office January 6, 1879 – January 1, 1883 |
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| Lieutenant | Jewett W. Adams |
| Preceded by | Lewis R. Bradley |
| Succeeded by | Jewett W. Adams |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
December 10, 1826 Somerset County, Pennsylvania |
| Died | August 15, 1904 (aged 77) Carson City, Nevada |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Elizabeth Fall |
John Henry Kinkead (December 10, 1826 – August 15, 1904) was an American businessman and politician who served as the third Governor of Nevada and the first Governor of the District of Alaska. Spending most of his life in the dry goods business, he was also Treasurer of Nevada Territory, a member of the Nevada Constitutional convention, and the first United States official to hold office in Alaska.
Kinkead was born in the now defunct town of Smithfield in Somerset County, Pennsylvania on October 10, 1826 to Catherine (Bushey) and James S. Kinkead. He attended elementary school in Zanesville, Ohio and high school in Lancaster, Ohio. At age 18, Kinkead became a clerk at a dry goods store. In 1849, he moved to Salt Lake City, Utah where, with I. M. Livingston, he founded the dry goods firm Livingston & Kinkead.
In 1854 Kinkead moved to California, working at various jobs before settling in Marysville. There, on January 1, 1856, he married Elizabeth Falls. The marriage produced no children. However, much later, they adopted a boy named Kahtz from Alaska. He died at the age of 12. During 1856, Kinkead attempted to establish a dry goods business in New York City. Unsuccessful in this effort, he returned to California at the end of the year. There Kinkead suffered a series of business setbacks.
Prompted by the discovery of silver in the area, Kinkead moved to Carson City, Utah Territory. While operating his dry goods store, he became involved in the organization of Nevada Territory. Kinkead was appointed Nevada's first Territorial Treasurer, a position he held from 1862 to 1864, and in 1864 served as a member of the Nevada Constitutional Convention.
By mid-1867, Kinkead was without work and journeyed to Alaska with the "Occupancy" Commission. As part of the commission, he witnessed the transfer of Alaska from Russian to American possession. He also became the first United States official to hold office in Alaska when he was appointed postmaster by President Andrew Johnson. In addition to his postal duties, Kinkead operated a trading post and served as Sitka, Alaska's unofficial mayor.
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