Joseph Robbins Kinney was a merchant, notary public

Notary public

A notary public in the common law world is a public officer constituted by law to serve the public in non-contentious matters usually concerned with estates, deeds, powers-of-attorney, and foreign and international business...

 and political figure in Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...

, Canada. He represented the Yarmouth district

Yarmouth (electoral district)

For the current provincial electoral district, see Yarmouth Yarmouth was a federal electoral district in Nova Scotia, Canada, that was represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1867 to 1917. It was created by the British North America Act of 1867. It consisted of the County of Yarmouth...

 in the Canadian House of Commons

Canadian House of Commons

The House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...

 from 1882 to 1887 as a Liberal

Liberal Party of Canada

The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...

 member.

The son of William Kinney (1809–1890) and Orpah Robbins, he was born in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia

Yarmouth, Nova Scotia

Yarmouth is a town and fishing port located on the Gulf of Maine in rural southwestern Nova Scotia, Canada. It is the shire town of Yarmouth County. The town is located in the heart of the world's largest lobster fishing grounds and has Canada's highest lobster catch.- History :The townsite may...

. In 1860, he married Ada E. Ritchie. Kinney was consular agent for the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. He represented Yarmouth County in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly

Nova Scotia House of Assembly

The Nova Scotia Legislature, consisting of Her Majesty The Queen represented by the Lieutenant Governor and the House of Assembly, is the legislative branch of the provincial government of Nova Scotia, Canada...

 from 1878 to 1882. He ran unsuccessfully for reelection to the House of Commons in 1887 and 1891. Kinney was married twice: to Ada E. Ritchie in 1860 and in 1881 to Mary B. Dakin. Kinney served as Inspector of Fisheries for Nova Scotia for the division West of Halifax from 1890 to 1895.
His brother, also named William Kinney (1832–1915), traveled to the Hawaiian Islands

Hawaiian Islands

The Hawaiian Islands are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, numerous smaller islets, and undersea seamounts in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some 1,500 miles from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kure Atoll...

 where he owned a sugar plantation.
Nephew William Ansel Kinney

William Ansel Kinney

William Ansel Kinney was a lawyer and politician in the Kingdom of Hawaii, through the Republic of Hawaii and into the Territory of Hawaii.-Family:William Ansel Kinney was born October 16, 1860 in Honolulu, Hawaii....

 became a lawyer, and nephew Ray Kinney

Ray Kinney

Ray Kinney was a singer, musician, composer, orchestra leader and performer on radio, stage and screen.-Biography:...

(1900–1972) a popular musician.