Malachi Kinney, elected alderman from the Fourth ward of Grand Rapids in April, 1899, is not a new man in either the city or the council, having come here from the city of Buffalo, N. Y., thirty-two years ago and having twice before been elected a member of the city council of Grand Rapids.

Mr. Kinney was born in Ireland, July 12, 1841, a son of Malachi and Margaret (Killian) Kinney, and was but six years of age when his parents and their children embarked for America in a sailing vessel carrying 500 passengers. This vessel was thirteen weeks crossing the ocean, and an epidemic—possibly ship fever—having broke out on board, the number of passengers was so depleted that but 240 survived to land, and among those who perished were the father and mother of the subject. Left an orphan at this tender age in a strange land, young Kinney found himself in a sad predicament, indeed, but the little hero did not give away to despair. He made his way from the Atlantic coast to the city of Buffalo, N. Y., near which he had an uncle living, and there passed twenty years of his life, in the meantime having an opportunity of attending the village and country school for a limited period. His knowledge, however, was not altogether acquired at school or from text books, but greatly from observation during his years of labor and early business life.

At the age of sixteen years, young Kinney began learning the blacksmith trade with a brother, and remained with him until 1867, when he came to Grand Rapids. Here he worked hard, saved his earnings, secured him a home and shop, and continued his industry until November, 1898, when he rented his shop and tools and retired from active work as horse-shoer, which was his principal business, although he was quite an expert in iron work generally.

On the 12^th day of April, 1863, Mr. Kinney married, in Buffalo, N. Y., Miss Ellen Welch, who was born in Toronto, Canada, 1845, but who, after a happy wedded life of thirty-one years was called away June 12, 1894, in the faith of the Catholic church, and the mother of eleven children, viz: Mary Catherine, of Alpena, Mich.; Charles, deceased; John, of Chicago, Ill.; William, of Denver, Colo.; Edward, of Montreal, Canada; Hannah, at home; Ethel, deceased; James, Blanche, and Clara and Angeline (twins), all at home, at the family residence, No. 12 Clancy street, Grand Rapids.

Always a democrat, Mr. Kinney has interested himself greatly in local politics, not so much from desire for emolument as from a sense of public duty. He was elected alderman from his ward in 1890, and was so watchful over the interests of his constituents, that he was re-elected in 1892, and again, so well satisfied were his people with his sound judgment and vigilance, he was called upon to serve once more in 1899. He has, at various times, held positions as member of the committees on sidewalks, on parks (of which he was chairman), on license, on public lights (of which he was also the chairman), on the fire department, and as chairman on the committee on bridges. Mr. Kinney is a self-made man, as the foregoing record well shows, and no man in Grand Rapids is more deservedly entitled to the high esteem in which he is held from one end of the city to the other.