John Kane was born in County Londonderry (County Derry), Ireland around 1805. Kane was a stonemason by trade who came to Raleigh in the 1830s to work on the construction of the state capitol. He later owned and operated what he called "The Restaurateur," a tavern, of sorts, that also had a reading room and a lunch room. Kane died at his farm outside Raleigh on May 20, 1863.