John Edward Kelley (March 27, 1853 – August 5, 1941) was a newspaperman and a politician from South Dakota who served one term in the United States House of Representatives.

Biography

John E. Kelley was born near Portage, Wisconsin on March 27, 1853. He attended the public schools, and as a young man he worked at lumber camps in Wisconsin and Minnesota. Kelley moved to Colman in the Dakota Territory in 1878. He operated a successful farm and timber business, and from 1894 to 1897 was owner and publisher of the ''Flandreau Herald'' newspaper. Originally a Democrat, Kelley was elected to the South Dakota House of Representatives in 1890 and 1891. He joined the Populist Party in 1890, and ran unsuccessfully for the United States House of Representatives in 1892 and 1894. In 1896 he was elected to Seat A, one of South Dakota's two at-large U.S. House seats, and he served in the

55th United States Congress The 55th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from March 4, 1897, to M ...

, March 4, 1897 to March 3, 1899. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1898, and returned to his farming and business interests. Kelley later returned to the Democratic Party, and served as a Delegate to the

1912 Democratic National Convention The 1912 Democratic National Convention was held at the Fifth Regiment Armory off North Howard Street in Baltimore from June 25 to July 2, 1912. The Convention The convention was held at the Fifth Regiment Armory in Baltimore from June 25 t ...

. From 1915 to 1918 he served as Register of the United States Land Office in Pierre, South Dakota. He later moved to

St. Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (abbreviated St. Paul) is the capital of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County. Situated on high bluffs overlooking a bend in the Mississippi River, Saint Paul is a regional business hub and the center o ...

, and become editor of the ''Co-operators Herald''. He died in Minneapolis on August 5, 1941, and was buried at Saint Mary's Cemetery in Minneapolis.

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* 1853 births 1941 deaths People from Portage, Wisconsin South Dakota Populists People's Party members of the United States House of Representatives from South Dakota Democratic Party members of the South Dakota House of Representatives People from the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area American newspaper editors People from Pierre, South Dakota People from Moody County, South Dakota Journalists from South Dakota Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from South Dakota {{SouthDakota-politician-stub