OLDEST IRISH AMERICAN NEWSPAPER IN USA, ESTABLISHED IN 1928
Category: Archive

Senate confirms Kenny as ambassador

February 16, 2011

By Staff Reporter

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved his nomination and hours later it was confirmed by voice vote by the full Senate last Friday afternoon.
Kenny, a Chicago construction company president with no previous diplomatic experience, said earlier at his confirmation hearings that he was eager to take on the new challenge.
He’s the second Bush administration ambassador to Ireland. Richard Egan, a wealthy Massachusetts computer company mogul, announced last December he intended to quit as ambassador.
Democratic Sens. Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts and Christopher Dodd of Connecticut had complained at the unusually slow speed it was taking to find a replacement for Egan.
There was no substantial opposition for Kenny on either side of the aisle during his confirmation process.
Sen. Joseph Biden, a Democrat from Delaware, noted during Kenny’s confirmation hearings that “the Boston Irish seemed to be losing ground to the Chicago Irish.”
President Bush has certainly looked to many prominent Irish Americans in Chicago and to Chicagoans generally for support recently. He collected $3.6 million at a fundraiser in the city last Tuesday. Kenny has given $27,800 through the Kenny Construction Company to the president’s reelection campaign, according to Chicago’s Daily Herald.
Pat Ryan has replaced Kenny as the top fundraiser for Bush in Illinois. Ryan is the president of the Aon Corporation.

Other Articles You Might Like

Sign up to our Daily Newsletter

Click to access the login or register cheese