Robert Cochran McKinney was born on January 20, 1852, in Troy, New York, to Robert and Mary McKinney. His father was a hardware manufacturer. The family lived in Troy until around 1861, when they moved to Cincinnati, Ohio. His father died unexpectedly in 1864. McKinney enrolled at Cornell University in 1872, and he studied mechanical engineering there.
After leaving the university, he settled in Hamilton, Ohio, and he worked in the drafting room of a manufacturing company. He began working at the Niles Tool Works in 1877, and he eventually became secretary and then treasurer and general manager. The company expanded and prospered until his direction.
He married Eleanor Beckett on October 15, 1879, and their daughter Dorothy was born around 1888. By 1900, they were living in New York City. McKinney became a prominent member of New York society. He died in Greenwich, Connecticut, on October 3, 1917.
Image: Robert Cochran McKinney (John W. Leonard, History of the City of New York, 1609-1909)