Born on a farm near Greenville, Iowa[usurped], Kendall attended the rural schools until the eighth grade.

[1] After moving to Albia, Iowa, he began reading law at age fifteen, and was admitted to the bar in 1889.

In 1908, Kendall ran as a Republican for the U.S. House seat for Iowa's 6th congressional district, then held by incumbent one-term Democrat Daniel W. Hamilton.

He won the Republican primary in June 1912 over two challengers,[2] but pulled out of the race in August, citing health concerns.

[4] This article incorporates public domain material from the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress