Politician, lawyer.
Kendall was born in Morgan County, Ky. His first elective office was that of Morgan County Attorney, a post he won in 1858. He fought in the Confederate Army throughout the Civil War and was chosen as a member of the Kentucky General Assembly two years after the war ended. Kendall served as Kentucky's Commonwealth's Attorney from 1872 to 1878. He had begun seeking a seat in the U.S. Congress in 1870, but it was not until 1891 that he finally won election to that body as the Democratic representative of Kentucky's Tenth District. He did not live to finish the two-year term, however, dying suddenly of a stroke in 1892. His son, Joseph Morgan Kendall, was named to succeed him.
From the description of John Wilkerson Kendall scrapbook, 1870-1904, 1870-1892 (bulk dates). (University of Kentucky Libraries). WorldCat record id: 13571601
