James K. Kelly
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- See also James Kelly (U.S. representative) and James Kelly.
| James Kerr Kelly | |
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10th Chief Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court
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| In office 1878 – 1880 |
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| Preceded by | Paine Page Prim |
| Succeeded by | William Paine Lord |
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26th Associate Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court
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| In office 1878 – 1880 |
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| Appointed by | Stephen F. Chadwick |
| Preceded by | James F. Watson |
| Succeeded by | Edward B. Watson |
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| Born | February 16, 1819 Center County, Pennsylvania |
| Died | September 15, 1903 Washington, D.C. |
James Kerr Kelly (1819-1903) was a United States Senator from Oregon from 1871 to 1877.[1]
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[edit] Early life
Kelly was born in Center County, Pennsylvania in 1819.[1] There he attended the school at Milton, and later the Lewisburg Academies.[1] For his higher education, the future Congressman graduated from the College of New Jersey in 1839.[1] James Kelly then studied law in Carlisle, Pennsylvania and was admitted to practice law in Pennsylvania in 1842.[1]
[edit] Career
Upon entering the legal profession, Mr. Kelly began private practice in Lewistown, Pennsylvania, then was the deputy attorney general for Mifflin County, Pennsylvania.[1] In 1849 he left for California and the newly discovered gold fields, then moved on to the Oregon Territory in 1851.[1] In Oregon he set up a law practice in Portland and was one of three people selected to help re-write the laws of the territory.[1]
[edit] Political career
While living in Oregon James Kelly became active in politics and was elected to the territorial legislature serving from 1853 to 1857, and was selected as president of the legislature twice.[1] In 1857 he was a member of the constitutional convention formed to prepare for Oregon's admission into the Union in 1859.[1] Upon statehood, Kelly was elected to the state senate serving from 1860 to 1864.[1] In 1864 he ran and lost for a seat in Congress.[1] He was also unsuccessful in running for governor in 1866.[1] Then in 1870 he was elected to the U.S. Senate as a Democrat and served from March 4, 1871 to March 3, 1877 and did not run for re-election.[1]
From 1878-1880 Kelly was a justice on the Oregon Supreme Court. He also served as Chief Justice of the court during that time. Kelly was appointed to the position by Governor Stephen F. Chadwick to replace James F. Watson, but was not elected to a full term after his partial term expired.[2]
[edit] Later life
After retiring from the bench, Kelly went back into private practice in Portland.[1] In 1890 he returned to the east coast, settling in Washington, DC where he practiced law and then died on September 15, 1903 with burial at Rock Creek Cemetery.[1]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Kelly, James Kerr. Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. U.S. Congress. Retrieved on 2007-01-11.
- ^ Oregon Supreme Court Justices. Oregon Blue Book. State of Oregon. Retrieved on 2006-12-06.
| Preceded by George H. Williams |
United States Senator (Class 2) from Oregon 1871–1877 Served alongside: Henry W. Corbett, John H. Mitchell |
Succeeded by La Fayette Grover |
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