McKinney, Francis F. (Francis Fowler), 1891-1972

Historian and biographer from McMillan, Michigan.

From the description of Francis Fowler McKinney papers, 1941-1972. (University of Michigan). WorldCat record id: 82951200

From the description of Francis Fowler papers, 1941-1972. (University of Michigan). WorldCat record id: 34423559

Francis McKinney was born February 25, 1891 in Washington D.C. He attended the University of Michigan (1911-1913) where he was managing editor of the Michigan Daily ; he then graduated from the U-M Law School in 1916. During World War I, he served as an ensign aboard the USS Carolina, 1917-1919. After the war, he was employed in a variety of professions, as a surveyor, in advertising, as a journalist and writer, and in the automobile industry. In 1949, he retired, moving to Sagitaw Farm in Lakefield township, Luce county in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.

In his retirement, McKinney devoted himself to historical research and to the writing of historical monographs, particularly on the Civil War period. His biography of Civil War general George A. Thomas was published by Wayne State University Press in 1961. Some of his shorter articles were published in the Michigan Alumnus Quarterly Review . McKinney's biography of Revolutionary War general Francis Marion remained unpublished at the time of his death on December 7, 1972.

From the guide to the Francis Fowler McKinney papers, 1941-1972, (Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan)