CHARLES HART KINSEY

San Francisco County

Biographies

CHARLES HART KINSEY

KINSEY, CHARLES HART, Attorney at Law (member of the firm of Clarke & Kinsey), San Francisco, California, was born in Eureka, Humboldt County, California, January 5, 1876, the son of Louis Thompson Kinsey and Sarah Jane (Hart) Kinsey. He married Miss Alice Benicia Hulse at San Francisco on October 19, 1907. Mr. Kinsey is descended from the oldest stock in the United States. His paternal ancestors were English, while on the maternal side his forbears were English and Dutch. The earliest members of the family in America were residents of Pennsylvania when Philadelphia, now the third largest city of the Union, was but a village. His paternal grandfather crossed the plains with an ox team in 1851, settling first in Oregon, but in the following year moved to California and ultimately located in Siskiyou County, were the father of Mr. Kinsey was born. For twenty-five years Mr. Kinsey’s father was a leading banker of Eureka and a prominent factor in the affairs of Humboldt County, California. He filled various county offices and also served one term as Mayor of the town of Eureka. Mr. Kinsey’s mother’s family also were among the pioneer settlers of California, they having come around the Horn in a sailing vessel which landed them at San Francisco in the year 1850.

Mr. Kinsey, now ranked as one of the successful corporation lawyers of the Pacific Coast, spent his boyhood and a part of his early manhood in his native town and in Humboldt County. He received his preliminary education in the public schools of Eureka and was graduated from the High School of that place in the class of 1893. The following year he entered Leland Stanford, Jr., University at Palo Alto, California, and was a student there until 1895, but left at the conclusion of his second term to take up the study of law. He studied at the Hastings College of Law in San Francisco for about two years, but trouble with his eyes obliged him to leave before his graduation and he returned to his home in Eureka.

After a short stay at home, Mr. Kinsey, who was unable at that time to engage in reading of any sort, went to a ranch in Humboldt County and there became a cowboy. He followed this life for about eight years, and during that time was almost continually in the saddle as cowboy, foreman or superintendent of the ranch. He had attained this latter position, which involved the management of a property five thousand acres in extent, together with several thousand head of cattle, only after the most strenuous work, and was serving as superintendent at the time he gave up ranching. His life outdoors during those several years proved of benefit to Mr. Kinsey’s eyes and also gave him a robust constitution. He was fascinated with the work, but at the same time always retained his ambition to enter the legal profession, and whenever it was possible studied his law books.

In 1907 Mr. Kinsey passed the bar examinations and was admitted to practice in the Supreme Court of California. He began practice shortly afterward in the office of Jordan, Rowe & Brann, one of the established firms of San Francisco. It was headed by William H. Jordan, one of the leaders in the San Francisco Bar, former speaker of the California Assembly and a factor in educational affairs. During the two years he was associated with the firm Mr. Kinsey, who acted as both clerk and lawyer, was thrown in close contact with Mr. Jordan, and through that experienced attorney, gained a wide knowledge.

Leaving the firm of Jordan, Rowe & Brann in 1909, Mr. Kinsey practiced alone for about a year, and in 1910 formed the partnership of Clarke & Kinsey, the senior member of the firm being Fabius M. Clarke of Indiana, who had had many years’ experience in the courts of Indiana, Ohio and other States He had been in retirement for a few years prior to forming the partnership with Mr. Kinsey, but since that time has been very active. They are known among the strong men of the profession.

Mr. Kinsey’s practice is confined chiefly to counseling and corporation law, and he seldom appears in court. He had had several important divorce actions, which he handled successfully, but outside of these, his labors have been confined to acting as consulting attorney for various concerns, among them several leading oil companies of California.

Mr. Kinsey is an amateur musician of ability and during his days at Leland Stanford, Jr., University was a member of the college band. He seeks recreation in fishing and hunting; belongs to the Union League and Commonwealth Clubs of San Francisco and the Knights of Pythias.

Transcribed by Pat Seabolt.

Source: Press Reference Library, Western Edition Notables of the West, Vol. I, Page 567, International News Service, New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Boston, Atlanta. 1913.

California Biography Project

San Francisco County

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