Robert W. Kenny

Robert Walker Kenny (August 21, 1901-July 20, 1976) was the 21st Attorney General of California. Kenny, a Democrat, was an early advocate for civil rights in California. Kenny restructured the California Department of Justice (DOJ) to be similar to the United States Department of Justice. For example, he transferred the California DOJ main office from San Francisco, California closer to the state legislature in Sacramento, California, and created civil service positions instead of political appointments within the California DOJ. He was instrumental in abolishing the legal existence of the Ku Klux Klan in California. Kenny also served as a Superior Court Judge in Los Angeles, California. From 1940 to 1948, Kenny was President of the Los Angeles Chapter of the National Lawyers' Guild and in that capacity was involved in the aftermath of the Zoot Suit Riots.[1]

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Legal offices
Preceded by
Earl Warren
California Attorney General
1943–1947
Succeeded by
Frederick N. Howser