Judge

Parents: John Reid Kennedy (1821–1869) and Elizabeth Byrd (also Bird). Married: (1.) Roxanna Rice (1860–1896); (2.) Mary Swift Young (1872–1959).

Children: With Roxanna Rice: Florence Byrd Kennedy (1889-1927) and Dudley Reid Kennedy (1886-1924); with Mary Swift Young: David Francis Kennedy (1891-1934).

Kinship: First cousin three times removed of the post–World War II Smith generation.

Early Life and Education James Byrd Kennedy was born in Mahoning County, Ohio. Orphaned young, he and his brother were raised by their paternal grandfather. He attended schools in Coitsville and on Wood Street in Youngstown, and then studied at Poland, preparing for the classical department of the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. Ill health forced his withdrawal within a year; after recovering he completed a commercial course at Duff’s Business College in Pittsburgh. While teaching school in 1882–1883 he read law, and he was admitted to the Ohio bar at Columbus in March 1885.

Law Practice and Public Office Kennedy began practice in Youngstown and soon formed a partnership, becoming a familiar figure at the Mahoning County bar. A Republican, he was elected prosecuting attorney of Mahoning County in November 1890 and served six years. In 1896 he was elected judge of the Court of Common Pleas; he resigned from the bench in 1899 and returned to private practice with C. D. Hine at Poland, with offices in the Wick Building. Contemporary and retrospective sources confirm this career sequence.

Later Career and Community Ties Kennedy remained active in practice for decades. Local records and Poland village documentation note his acquisition in 1923 of an eleven-acre estate in Poland, with subsequent subdivision and sales in the 1930s, reflecting his long residence and community standing.

Death and Burial He died in 1950 and is commemorated locally as “Judge James B. Kennedy.”