Thomas P. Kennard

Thomas Perkins Kennard (December 13, 1828 – June 24, 1920) was a lawyer who served as Nebraska's first Secretary of State from 1867 to 1871. He was a member of the commission that chose Lincoln, Nebraska, as the site for the state capital. In 1863, Kennard was elected mayor of De Soto, Nebraska.

On April 12, 1866, the Nebraska Republicans met in convention at Plattsmouth, Nebraska, and nominated a state ticket in favor of the organization of the state. Kennard was nominated as that ticket's candidate for Nebraska Secretary of State. After this convention, John Milton Thayer, a Republican nominee for United States Senator, and Kennard toured the state to raise support for statehood. After Lancaster, Nebraska (later named Lincoln) was selected, Kennard stayed behind to help survey the land and lay out plots for the capitol, other public buildings, and parks. reportedly one of his most successful business ventures. He served as president and general manager of Western Glass until his retirement in 1910.

In 1896, Kennard traveled to the Republican National Convention in St. Louis, Missouri, supporting William McKinley for president. As a reward for his support, he was appointed receiver of public moneys for the U.S. Land Office in 1898, a position he held until 1902.

Legacy In his later years, Kennard became informally known as "the Father of Lincoln" for his role in selecting its site as the state capital of Nebraska.

The Thomas P. Kennard House, Kennard's residence when he first lived in Lincoln, located less than a block from the Nebraska State Capitol, still stands today as a museum owned by the State of Nebraska.

The town of Kennard, Nebraska, is named for him.

Personal life In January 1852, Kennard married Livia E. Templeton, a Baptist, and was thus subsequently dismissed from the local Quaker meetinghouse for "marriage contrary to discipline" since he had married a non-Quaker. Kennard's first son, Alva, was born a year later in January 1853. A daughter, named India and born in 1854, died in childhood after the family moved to Nebraska. Two more daughters were born to Kennard and his wife while in Nebraska: Ida Lulu in 1862 and Cora in 1864.

Kennard's wife Livia died of a stroke on January 5, 1887. Kennard never remarried, and over thirty years later, on June 24, 1920, Kennard died just two days after his Western Glass & Paint business was destroyed by fire. Nebraska Governor Samuel R. McKelvie and University of Nebraska Chancellor Samuel Avery served as pallbearers at his funeral. He was buried next to his wife in Wyuka Cemetery.