Robert Kean
Encyclopedia
Robert Winthrop Kean was a Republican
politician who represented New Jersey
in the U.S. House of Representatives for twenty years.
, a delegate to the Continental Congress
, a nephew of U.S. Senator John Kean
and son of Katharine Winthrop and Senator Hamilton Fish Kean
. He graduated from St. Mark's School
(1911) and Harvard University
(1915), and was the father of former New Jersey governor Thomas Kean
. He served in the National Guard
and later in the United States Army
during World War I
earning the rank of lieutenant, the Silver Star
, and the Distinguished Service Cross
.
After the war, Kean worked in investment banking in New Jersey and New York City
. In 1938 he was elected as a congressman representing New Jersey's 12th district. He served in that position for 20 years until he ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate in 1958.
A resident of Livingston, New Jersey
, he died there on September 21, 1980, at Saint Barnabas Medical Center
due to a heart attack
.
is named in honor of Robert Kean and the Kean family and its Liberty Hall Campus houses the historic property and home of the Kean family.
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
politician who represented New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
in the U.S. House of Representatives for twenty years.
Biography
Kean was the great-great-grandson of John KeanJohn Kean (South Carolina)
John Kean was an American merchant from Charleston, South Carolina. He was a delegate for South Carolina in the Continental Congress from 1785 to 1787 and advocated ratification of the United States Constitution at South Carolina's ratifying convention...
, a delegate to the Continental Congress
Continental Congress
The Continental Congress was a convention of delegates called together from the Thirteen Colonies that became the governing body of the United States during the American Revolution....
, a nephew of U.S. Senator John Kean
John Kean (New Jersey)
John Kean was an American lawyer, banker and Republican Party politician from Elizabeth, New Jersey. He represented New Jersey in the U.S. Senate from 1899 to 1911 and served two separate terms in the United States House of Representatives, from 1883 to 1885, and from 1887 to 1889...
and son of Katharine Winthrop and Senator Hamilton Fish Kean
Hamilton Fish Kean
Hamilton Fish Kean was a U.S. senator from New Jersey.Kean was the son of Lucy and John Kean. He was related to several prominent American politicians including his great-grandfather John Kean , his brother John Kean , and his son Robert Kean...
. He graduated from St. Mark's School
St. Mark's School
St. Mark’s School is a coeducational, Episcopal, preparatory school, situated on in Southborough, Massachusetts, from Boston. It was founded in 1865 as an all-boys' school by Joseph Burnett, a wealthy native of Southborough who developed and marketed the world-famous Burnett Vanilla Extract . ...
(1911) and Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
(1915), and was the father of former New Jersey governor Thomas Kean
Thomas Kean
Thomas Howard Kean is an American Republican Party politician, who served as the 48th Governor of New Jersey from 1982 to 1990. Kean is best known globally, however, for his 2002 appointment as Chairman of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, widely known as the...
. He served in the National Guard
United States National Guard
The National Guard of the United States is a reserve military force composed of state National Guard militia members or units under federally recognized active or inactive armed force service for the United States. Militia members are citizen soldiers, meaning they work part time for the National...
and later in the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
earning the rank of lieutenant, the Silver Star
Silver Star
The Silver Star is the third-highest combat military decoration that can be awarded to a member of any branch of the United States armed forces for valor in the face of the enemy....
, and the Distinguished Service Cross
Distinguished Service Cross (United States)
The Distinguished Service Cross is the second highest military decoration that can be awarded to a member of the United States Army, for extreme gallantry and risk of life in actual combat with an armed enemy force. Actions that merit the Distinguished Service Cross must be of such a high degree...
.
After the war, Kean worked in investment banking in New Jersey and New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. In 1938 he was elected as a congressman representing New Jersey's 12th district. He served in that position for 20 years until he ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate in 1958.
A resident of Livingston, New Jersey
Livingston, New Jersey
Livingston is a township in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the township population was 29,366.Livingston was incorporated as a township by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 5, 1813, from portions of Caldwell Township and Springfield...
, he died there on September 21, 1980, at Saint Barnabas Medical Center
Saint Barnabas Medical Center
Saint Barnabas Medical Center , an affiliate of the Barnabas Health , is a 597-bed non-profit major teaching hospital located in Livingston, New Jersey...
due to a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
.
Honors
Kean UniversityKean University
Kean University is a coeducational, public research university located in Union and Hillside, New Jersey, United States. Kean University serves its students in the liberal arts, the sciences, and the professions with a dedication to intellectual and cultural growth and is best known for its...
is named in honor of Robert Kean and the Kean family and its Liberty Hall Campus houses the historic property and home of the Kean family.