William WJ Kelly

William WJ Kelly

William Washington Jones Kelly (born April 7, 1814 in Wilmington , North Carolina , † September 8, 1878 in Pensacola , Florida ) was an American politician and the first lieutenant governor of the state of Florida.

biography

Kelly was born into a merchant family. As a boy, Kelly moved with his family to Pensacola, Florida. His father Hanson soon became the post office manager of the city and held this post until his death in 1850.

William Kelly studied law after graduating from school and joined the Escambia County Court in 1834 upon graduation . He worked in other courts of law, but never appeared to have been a judge there. In 1837 he joined a company that his father had founded.

He began his political career by being elected to the Florida Senate. He later represented Escambia County in the Florida House of Representatives until that constituency was split into Escambia and Santa Rosa Counties in 1845 . From February 10, 1831 until his death, he served as a judge in both constituencies. In 1846 he was elected to the city council of Pensacola and soon afterwards founded the Masonic Lodge in Pensacola, of which he also became a member.

Between March 1847 and June 1848 he joined the Florida Army to fight in the war against Mexico . He was recruited into the Florida Battalion and took command after they crossed the border into Mexico. After the war ended, the state bequeathed him land in Santa Rosa County for his services in the war against Mexico, which Kelly soon sold again.

In 1851 he married Pauline Virginia Mitchell. The following year, his daughter Pauline Virginia Kelly was born. On April 5 of that year he joined the United States Navy as a purser and was hired on several ships. He quit his job after nine years. Because of the death of his wife in September 1853, he left the army without permission for half a year. On May 8, 1856, he married again, this time Mary Ella Smith. He had two children with her.

Shortly before the Civil War broke out in the United States, he was able to end his service on January 21, 1861. He was one of the last to have this opportunity.

He then resumed his political career and served as the Republican delegate of Escambia County to the Florida Constitutional Convention. On December 20, 1865, he was sworn in as Lieutenant Governor of the State of Florida. He held this office for three years. He continued to work as a politician until his death in 1878.

After his death on September 8, 1878, he was buried in St. John's Cemetery , a Masonic cemetery. There he received a special place of honor.

Web links

• The Political Graveyard