Harvey A. Penney was a born in Saginaw in 1866. He attended the University of Michigan where he received the first diploma given by the university law school in 1890. He served six years as an alderman in Saginaw and was a local officer of the United States Department of Justice. He was elected to the Michigan state legislature in 1914, serving one term as a representative and 5 successive terms in the senate. He served as a member of the commission in 1934 that drafted Saginaw's council-manager charter. He was a member of the city council when he died in 1936. He was married to Sarah Procunier.
From the description of Penney family papers, 1869-1921. (Public Libraries of Saginaw). WorldCat record id: 61200110