Early Life
Kilkenny’s father and uncle immigrated to Morrow County, Oregon, from County Leitrim in Ireland in the 1890s. They worked for the railroads until they had saved enough money to buy land.
John Kilkenny was born in Heppner, Oregon on October 26, 1901. He was raised on a sheep farm and attended the one-room Alpine School before being sent to Portland, Oregon, where he attended the private boys' boarding school Columbia Preparatory.
After graduation, Judge Kilkenny went on to the University of Notre Dame Law School in South Bend, Indiana. He graduated in 1925 with cum laude honors earning an LL.B.. At Notre Dame, Kilkenny tried out for the football team, then coached by Knute Rockne, but a knee injury kept him from playing. He helped manage one of the teams and was assigned by Rockne the task of acquiring four horses for the Four Horsemen photograph in 1924 due to his experience growing up on a ranch.
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