John Kinchen was born in Halifax County, North Carolina in about 1745. A lawyer, Kinchen moved to Hillsborough in Orange County, North Carolina in 1770, where he soon took on William Johnston's mercantile business as a client. As Johnston's business expanded, Kinchen then took on Johnston's business partner Richard Bennehan as a client as well. During the American Revolution, Kinchen was an active patriot and represented Orange at various times in the provincial congress and on the bench. In 1780 Kinchen moved back to Halifax, where he reestablished his former law practice there. After the revolution, Kinchen continued to hold occasional state offices and also worked as a lawyer. He died in Franklin County, North Carolina in 1794.