Jenkins was born on May 28, 1872, in Cleveland. He attended Central High School in Cleveland and spent a year at Harvard University before moving on Yale University, from which he graduated in 1894. Jenkins was a substitute on the Yale Bulldogs football team, playing as a tackle. He graduated from Harvard Law School in 1901. After he graduated from Harvard, Jenkins formed a law practice with Roger M. Lee under the name of Lee and Jenkins, which focused on admiralty law. He later ran the Jenkins Steamship Company, which built and operated steel freight steamers.[2] Jenkins died in 1952.[3]