Poet and diplomat, William Kennedy was born in 1799 in Ireland where he was educated as a journalist.
Between 1839 and 1846, Kennedy travelled extensively in the newly-formed Republic of Texas. During a brief return to England in 1841 he published "The Rise, Progress, and Prospects of the Republic of Texas." Later in 1841 he was appointed British Consul to Galveston and served in that capacity until annexation of Texas in 1846. Returning to Glasgow in 1847, Kennedy was in poor health and soon thereafter retired on a pension. He remained ill for the rest of his life and worked on various novels and essays in England and in Paris where he died in 1871.
From the description of Letters : Glasgow, to Dear Bollaert, 1847-1848. (Newberry Library). WorldCat record id: 36452028
