William Kenan was born in 1872 in North Carolina. While attending college in North Carolina in 1892 he aided in the discovery of Calcium Carbide. Calcium Carbide is a chemical used in the production of Acetylene which is used for welding and cutting. Because of this discovery he was accepted into the American Chemist Society in 1893. A year later, in 1894, he graduated from collage with a degree in chemical engineering. After collage he traveled the world building factories to produce Calcium Carbide. In 1896 he was employed by the Carbide Manufacturing Company in Niagara Falls. Also in 1896 he made his first visit to Lockport and installed an electric furnace for the Cowles Brothers Aluminum Smelting Company. This furnace was later used by Charles Martin Hall to perfect the "Hall Process" for producing aluminum.(see: The story of Lockport and aluminum) In 1900 he purchased his home in Lockport while working for Union Carbide in Niagara Falls. He lived in Lockport until his death in 1965. During his lifetime he contributed large amounts of money to charities in Lockport and North Carolina.