William D. Kelley

William Darrah Kelley (born April 12, 1814 in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania , † January 9, 1890 in Washington, DC ) was an American politician . Between 1861 and 1890 he represented the state of Pennsylvania in the US House of Representatives .

Career

William Kelley attended schools in his home country. Between 1828 and 1835 he completed an apprenticeship in the jewelry trade . He then moved to Boston , Massachusetts , where he worked in the jewelry industry. In 1840 he returned to Philadelphia. After studying law and being admitted to the bar in 1841, he began to work in this profession. In 1845 and 1846 he also worked as a public prosecutor in his home country. From 1846 to 1856 he served as an appellate judge in Philadelphia. Politically, Kelley was a member of the Democrats until 1854 . After the Missouri Compromise was repealed by the Kansas-Nebraska Act , he left that party. He then became a founding member of the new Republican Party . Kelley was an opponent of slavery . He also campaigned for civil rights, social reforms, and health and safety regulations throughout his life. In 1856 he ran unsuccessfully for Congress; in May 1860 he took part as a delegate at the Republican National Convention in Chicago , at which Abraham Lincoln was nominated as a candidate for president.

In the congressional election of 1860 Kelley was elected to the US House of Representatives in Washington in the fourth constituency of Pennsylvania, where he succeeded William Millward on March 4, 1861 . After 14 re-elections, he could remain in Congress until his death on January 9, 1890 . During this time the civil war (1861-1865) fell. Between 1865 and 1869, the work of Congress was overshadowed by tension between Republicans and President Andrew Johnson , which culminated in a narrowly unsuccessful impeachment trial. This process was supported by Kelley. Until 1876 he also experienced the reconstruction in the defeated southern states. He was also one of the first politicians in the federal capital to call for the establishment of Yellowstone National Park . During his tenure in Congress between 1865 and 1870, the 13th , 14th, and 15th amendments were ratified.

From 1837 to 1873, William Kelley was chairman of the Weights and Units Committee. From 1881 to 1883 he headed the influential Committee on Ways and Means and from 1889 the Crafts Committee. In 1884 he was elected a member of the American Philosophical Society .

Web links

William D. Kelley in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)

Individual evidence

^ Member History: William D. Kelley. American Philosophical Society, accessed October 20, 2018 .

predecessor	Office	successor
William Millward	United States House Representative for Pennsylvania (4th constituency) March 4, 1861 - January 9, 1890	John E. Reyburn

personal data
SURNAME	Kelley, William D.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Kelley, William Darrah (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	American politician
DATE OF BIRTH	April 12, 1814
PLACE OF BIRTH	Philadelphia , Pennsylvania
DATE OF DEATH	January 9, 1890
Place of death	Washington, DC

[1] Member History: William D. Kelley. American Philosophical Society, accessed October 20, 2018 .