Warren Wesley Kennerly was born to Wesley Travis and Ola Dell (Robertson) Kennerly in Knoxville, Tennessee on July 27, 1909. He earned his Bachelor of Law degree from the University of Tennessee in 1931 and his Doctorate of Juridical Science from the University of Michigan in 1933. Kennerly married Lucile Donaldson (1913-1976) on June 4, 1938 and the couple had three children: Craig, Lucy (Kennerly) Gump, and Mary (Kennerly) Myers. Kennerly began practicing law in Knoxville in 1932, where he was a member of the firm Kennerly, Montgomery, and Finley. Early in his career, he represented the City of Knoxville before the United States Supreme Court. Kennerly was also a member of the Knoxville Bar Association (where he served as president from 1956 to 1957), a Business Law Professor at the University of Tennessee, General Council for the Knoxville Utilities Board, and City Law Director (1938-1941). During World War II, Kennerly served for 18 months with the Judge Advocate General Corps and went on to sit on the Selective Service Board (1951-1961). In addition to his legal work, Kennerly was involved with the University of Tennessee (where he served as President of the UT National Alumni Association from 1948 to 1949), the Lawson McGhee Library Board, the Irving Club, the Civitan Club, and the Church Street United Methodist Church. Warren Kennerly died at his daughter's home in Nashville, Tennessee on December 23, 1998 and is buried in Highland Memorial Cemetery.