John Vincent Kelly Sr. (July 11, 1926 – October 30, 2009) was an American

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politician who served as Mayor of Nutley, New Jersey and served nine terms in the New Jersey General Assembly, before losing two electoral bids to win a seat in the

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Early life and education

Kelly was born in

Jersey City, New Jersey Jersey City is the second-most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, after Newark.St. Peter's Preparatory School Saint Peter's Preparatory School ("Saint Peter's Prep" or "Prep") is a private, all-male, Jesuit, college-preparatory school located in Jersey City, in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States, within the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark. T ...

. He served in the

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during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

as a demolitions expert in the

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. After completing his military service, he earned a degree in accounting and finance from Saint Peter's College (now Saint Peter's University) in 1951.Brennan, John
"St. Patrick's Day fixture John Kelly is dead at 83"
''

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'', November 1, 2009. Accessed November 2, 2009. While in college during the day, he worked at night at the

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docks and for the Railway Express Agency. He worked as an accountant for the firm of Peat, Marwick, and Mitchell (now part of

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), where one of his responsibilities was auditing Nutley Savings and Loan. He was hired in 1962, became comptroller and a board member the following year and executive vice president in 1971. He was named president and chairman after the death of John Dolan. Under his leadership, the savings and loan was ranked 13th among the 200 S&Ls statewide, with 22,000 customers and $212 million in assets, grown from the $60 million at the start if his tenure.

Political career

He first won a seat in the New Jersey General Assembly in 1981 against Democrat Mary V. Senatore. He was unseated two years later by 26-year-old

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candidate Steve Adubato, though Kelly would take the seat back in 1985. In the Assembly, Kelly sponsored legislation in 1991 that established the first law in the state requiring children under 14 to wear a helmet while riding a bicycle, scooter or skateboard. In 1997, he sponsored legislation to set standards to license hospice programs. Other legislation among the 143 bills he authored that were signed into law include a bill requiring that all state insurance companies provide coverage for

mammogram Mammography (also called mastography) is the process of using low-energy X-rays (usually around 30 kVp) to examine the human breast for diagnosis and screening. The goal of mammography is the early detection of breast cancer, typically through d ...

s and pap smears. In May 1988, Kelly was elected mayor of Nutley, with the 6,179 cast for him the most ever received by a commission candidate in that community. Choosing to run for the New Jersey Senate in 2001, he left the Assembly to challenge incumbent Democrat

Garry Furnari Garry J. Furnari (born September 1, 1954) is a judge and former American Democratic Party politician, who served in the New Jersey State Senate from 1998 to 2003, where he represented the 36th Legislative District. Biography Furnari was elected ...

, losing a close race in a district that encompassed significant portions of Southern

Bergen County, New Jersey Bergen County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of New Jersey.Paul Sarlo Paul Anthony Sarlo (born August 31, 1968) is an American construction industry executive and Democratic Party politician, who has served in the New Jersey State Senate since 2003, where he represents the 36th Legislative District. Sarlo is a fo ...

of Wood-Ridge, who was elected to replace him in the Assembly in 2001 and who also outspent Kelly by a nearly three-to-one margin in a pivotal race at a time when the Senate was evenly split between the two major parties and a change in party for any one seat could tip control of the upper house. Democrats won full control of the Senate, and Kelly fell short, by a margin of 53–44%. Kocieniewski, David
"THE 2003 ELECTION: THE STATEHOUSE; Democrats Seize Senate And Widen Assembly Gap"
''

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'', November 5, 2003. Accessed November 2, 2009. A longtime fixture at Nutley's St. Patrick's Day festivities, Kelly would wear a bright green suit that had been custom-made for him. He also played a pivotal role in creating that community's Columbus Day parade. As president of Nutley Savings Bank, Kelly was known for going out of his way to find a justification to fund a mortgage for a prospective customer and was likened to Jimmy Stewart's character George Bailey in the holiday classic '' It's a Wonderful Life''.

Death

Kelly died at age 83 on October 30, 2009, in what was described as "a most peaceful manner" at

Clara Maass Medical Center Clara Maass Medical Center is a 342- bed hospital in Belleville, Essex County, New Jersey, United States, that is part of the RWJBarnabas Health. It was founded in 1868 as the Newark German Hospital, and was renamed in 1952 in honor of Clara ...

in Belleville, New JerseyStaff
John V. Kelly
''

The Star-Ledger ''The Star-Ledger'' is the largest circulated newspaper in the U.S. state of New Jersey and is based in Newark. It is a sister paper to ''The Jersey Journal'' of Jersey City, ''The Times'' of Trenton and the '' Staten Island Advance'', all of wh ...

'', November 2, 2009. Accessed November 2, 2009. He was survived by his wife, Elizabeth, as well as by two daughters, two sons and 11 grandchildren.

References

External links

, - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Kelly, John V. 1926 births 2009 deaths American bankers United States Army personnel of World War II Mayors of Nutley, New Jersey Republican Party members of the New Jersey General Assembly People from Nutley, New Jersey Politicians from Jersey City, New Jersey Saint Peter's University alumni St. Peter's Preparatory School alumni United States Army soldiers 20th-century American politicians