John Pitt Kennedy

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John Pitt Kennedy (1796-1879) was a British military engineer, born ar Donagh, Donegal County, Ireland. He was educated at Foyle College, Londonderry, and the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich, becoming lieutenant in an engineer corps in 1815. Four years afterward, he was sent to Malta, and thence to Corfu. He superintended the construction of a canal at Santa Maura (1820), served next under Sir Charles Napier at Cephalonia (building lighthousees, roads, and quays), was subinspector of militia in the Ionian Islands (1828-31); and then returned to Ireland, where he set himself to the discovery of the ways and means for improving the lamentable condition of the agricultural classes.

[edit] Famine in Ireland

His methods of improving the condition of the agricultural classes are indicated by the title of his work, Instruct; Employ; Don't Hang Them: or Ireland Tranquilized without Soldiers and Enriched without English Capital (1835). He wrote several others of similar nature, and as inspector general for Irish education (1837), as secretary to the Devon commission (1843), and to the famine relief committee (1845), his labors were unceasing in behalf of his native land.

[edit] In India

He went back to the army in 1849 as military secretary to Sir Charles Napier and accompanied him to India. There he built the military road named after him and extending from Kalka via Simla to Kunawur and Tibet. He published British Home and Colonial Empire (1865-69), as well as a number of technical works relative to his Indian career.