James K. Kelly

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James K. Kelly

James Kerr Kelly (born February 16, 1819 in Center County , Pennsylvania , †  September 15, 1903 in Washington, DC ) was an American lawyer and politician ( Democratic Party ) who represented the state of Oregon in the US Senate .

Early years

After attending public schools and private schools in Milton and Lewisburg , James Kelly continued his education at the College of New Jersey , later Princeton University . There he made his degree in 1839, and he in Carlisle the law studied and received in 1842 for permission to practice law in Pennsylvania.

Kelly initially ran a law firm in Lewistown before becoming assistant district attorney in Mifflin County . In 1849 he decided to move to California in the wake of the gold rush ; two years later he finally settled in the Oregon Territory . In addition to serving as a Portland attorney , he served on a three-person board selected to reform the territory's law .

politics

Kelly took his first political mandate in 1853 as a member of the Territorial Parliament, where he remained until 1857. He was elected President of the Chamber twice. He then took part in the constitutional convention, which was supposed to prepare the planned for 1859 admission of Oregon to the Union. After taking this step, Kelly moved to the new state Senate . His term of office ended there in 1864; when trying to be elected to the United States House of Representatives that year , he failed because of Republican James Henderson .

In 1866 there was an unsuccessful candidacy for governor of Oregon. Four years later, Kelly was finally elected as a Democratic candidate to the US Senate, where he served a full term from March 4, 1871 to March 3, 1877. He did not apply for re-election.

Another résumé

From 1878 to 1880 James Kelly was Chairman ( Chief Justice ) of the Supreme Court of Oregon. He had been appointed to this post by Governor WW Thayer . After a restructuring of the Oregon judicial system, judges were elected from 1880 onwards, with Kelly denied confirmation. As a result, he worked again as a lawyer in Portland. He returned to Washington DC in 1890, where he practiced law until his death in 1903.

Web links

  • James K. Kelly in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)
personal data
SURNAME Kelly, James K.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Kelly, James Kerr (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American lawyer and politician
DATE OF BIRTH February 16, 1819
PLACE OF BIRTH Center County , Pennsylvania
DATE OF DEATH September 15, 1903
Place of death Washington, DC