Rowland Kenney

Rowland Kenney (28 December 1882 – 1961) was a British diplomat, propagandist, author and editor. During World War I and World War II, Kenney directed British propaganda in Norway and Scandinavia.

Early life Kenney was born on 28 December 1882 in Springhead, West Riding of Yorkshire (now part of Oldham). He was a son of Horatio Nelson Kenney (1849–1912), a cotton-mill worker, and Ann (née Wood, 1852–1905). He was one of twelve children, eleven of whom survived infancy. His sisters included the suffragettes Annie Kenney, Nell Kenney, Kitty Kenney, Jenny Kenney and Jessie Kenney. Their parents encouraged reading, debating, and socialism.

Career During his youth and early adulthood, Kenney worked a series of manual labour jobs, before beginning work as a salesman, and joining the Shop Assistants Union and the Independent Labour Party. Having compiled a report, Kenney was subsequently offered the job of press attaché in the British Legation (now Embassy) in Norway's capital Christiania (now Oslo).

After World War I, Kenney, still working for the Foreign Office, travelled to Poland to assess the political situation and reported back to the British delegation for the Treaty of Versailles. He died in 1961, survived by his only child, Kit Kenney (1913–1988).