Born in Moss Point in Jackson County, Mississippi, Denny attended the common schools and then Roanoke College in Salem, Virginia.
He was admitted to the bar and commenced practice in Pascagoula, the Jackson County seat of government on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.
He served as clerk of the circuit and chancery courts of Jackson County from November 1883 until January 1, 1895.
He resumed the practice of law in Pascagoula and for fifteen years was legal adviser to the Jackson County Board of Supervisors.
This article incorporates public domain material from the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress