This made him a prominent citizen of St. Clair County, and Kinney was elected to the Illinois Senate when the body was formed in 1818.
Twice an unsuccessful candidate for Governor of Illinois, Kinney was named president of the state's board of public works.
[1] In 1809, a merchant named VonPhul from St. Louis, Missouri, sold Kinney some bolts of cotton cloth with the intent of resale.
Kinney struggled to balance his political and mercantile responsibilities and found himself in financial ruin by the end of his four-year term.
[1] Kinney was an ardent supporter of slavery and was able to maintain a sustainable lifestyle using slave labor in his orchards.
[1] In 1836, the state legislature elected Kinney to the Illinois Board of Public Works, who promptly named him president of the organization.
Youngest son William C. was a successful lawyer in Belleville who married the daughter of Elias Kane and served in the Illinois House of Representatives.