A graduate of West Point, Kennon arrived in the Philippines in 1899 during the Philippine-American War. He served as a Military Governor in Ilocos Norte from 1901 to 1903.
After a short stint in Mindanao, Kennon was requested by Governor William Howard Taft to build Kennon Road (called Benguet Road back then). He was expected to finish the road in 2 to 3 years. Kennon finished it in just 18 months.
Construction of the road started in 1903. It opened in 1905. It was a massive project that required an army of workers. On top of Filipino and American workers, Kennon imported thousands of Chinese and Japanese builders to work on the project.
The opening of the road fasttracked Baguio City's development into an urban center in the north.
