John K. (Kintzing) Kane papers

John Kintzing Kane, 1795-1858

L. Tom Perry Special Collections is pleased to announce the availability of a new digitized collection: John K. (Kintzing) Kane papers (Vault MSS 792, Series 1).  This is the first series of the larger Kane family papers (Vault MSS 792), which primarily relate to Thomas L. Kane, son of Judge Kane, and Thomas’ wife Elizabeth. The John K. Kane papers series contains correspondence, biographical materials, and other documents related to early Kane family and business activities, as well as the papers of John K. Kane. It includes both personal papers and materials relating to his work as a judge and political figure. Materials date from between 1773 and 1916.

John Kintzing Kane was born May 16, 1795 in Albany, New York to Elisha Kane and Alida Van Rensselaer, and later moved to Philadelphia early in the 1800s. He graduated from Yale in 1814, and studied law in Philadelphia until he was admitted to the bar April 8, 1817. A supporter of President Andrew Jackson, Kane was appointed by him as a commissioner to settle claims with France at the July 4th, 1831 convention. Kane was appointed Attorney General of the state of Pennsylvania in 1845, but soon resigned to become a U.S. District Court judge. Kane married Jane Duval Leiper on April 20, 1819, and together they had six children, including arctic explorer Elisha Kent Kane, and Civil War general Thomas L. Kane. He died in Philadelphia of pneumonia on February 21, 1858.