Percy R. Kelly (July 13, 1870 – June 14, 1949) was an American attorney and jurist in the state of

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

. He was the 26th chief justice of the

Oregon Supreme Court The Oregon Supreme Court (OSC) is the highest state court in the U.S. state of Oregon. The only court that may reverse or modify a decision of the Oregon Supreme Court is the Supreme Court of the United States.Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...

, Kelly was an attorney in Oregon and member of both chambers of the

Oregon Legislative Assembly The Oregon Legislative Assembly is the state legislature for the U.S. state of Oregon. The Legislative Assembly is bicameral, consisting of an upper and lower house: the Senate, whose 30 members are elected to serve four-year terms; and the Ho ...

, as well as a trial court judge prior to joining the state supreme court.

Early life

Percy Kelly was born on July 13, 1870, in

Arlington, Iowa Arlington is a city in Fayette County, Iowa, United States. The population was 419 in the 2020 census, a decline from the 490 population in the 2000 census. History Arlington was originally called Brush Creek. The community was first settled i ...

, to C.C. Kelly and the former Mary Whipple.Corning, Howard M. ''Dictionary of Oregon History''. Binfords & Mort Publishing, 1956. After receiving his primary education in the local school of

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, and Oregon he attended

Albany College Lewis & Clark College is a private liberal arts college in Portland, Oregon. Originally chartered in 1867 as the Albany Collegiate Institute in Albany, Oregon, the college was relocated to Portland in 1938 and in 1942 adopted the name Lewis & Cl ...

Albany, Oregon Albany is the county seat of Linn County, Oregon, and is the eleventh largest city in that state. Albany is located in the Willamette Valley at the confluence of the Calapooia River and the Willamette River in both Linn and Benton counties, just ...

, where he graduated in 1887. After graduation he then

read law Reading law was the method used in common law countries, particularly the United States, for people to prepare for and enter the legal profession before the advent of law schools. It consisted of an extended internship or apprenticeship under the ...

under future Oregon Supreme Court justice Charles E. Wolverton and joined the

bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar * Chocolate bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud * Bar (u ...

in 1892.

Legal career

After passing the bar, Kelly began practicing law in Albany. Beginning in 1894 he was a deputy district attorney, serving until 1900. Then in 1898 he was elected as a Republican to the state house representing Linn County, for a special session. Beginning with following legislature he served in the state senate for two sessions.Oregon Legislative Assembly (20th) 1899 Regular Session.
Oregon State Archives. Retrieved on January 23, 2008. After this he served as Albany’s city attorney in 1909 and then became a state circuit court judge serving from 1911 until 1930. On September 24, 1930, Kelly was appointed by

Oregon Governor The governor of Oregon is the head of government of Oregon and serves as the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The title of governor was also applied to the office of Oregon's chief executive during the provisional and U.S. ter ...

A. W. Norblad Albin Walter Norblad Sr., (March 19, 1881 – April 17, 1960) was a prominent lawyer who lived in Astoria, Oregon, United States, and the 19th Governor of Oregon from 1929 to 1931. He was a Republican. He was the father of A. Walter N ...

to replace justice Thomas A. McBride on the Oregon Supreme Court after McBride died in office.Oregon Blue Book: Earliest Authorities in Oregon - Supreme Court Justices of Oregon.
Oregon Secretary of State. Retrieved on January 23, 2008.Oregon State Archives: Oregon Governor's Records Guides.
Oregon Secretary of State. Retrieved on January 23, 2008. Percy then won a full six-year term in 1930’s election, and re-election in 1936, 1942, and finally in 1948. While on the court he served as chief justice from 1941 to 1943, and then died in office on June 14, 1949.

Family

Percy Kelly married in 1910 to Margaret Dawson Gillette.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kelly, Percy R. 1949 deaths 1870 births Oregon state court judges People from Fayette County, Iowa Republican Party Oregon state senators Republican Party members of the Oregon House of Representatives Politicians from Albany, Oregon Lewis & Clark College alumni Chief Justices of the Oregon Supreme Court U.S. state supreme court judges admitted to the practice of law by reading law Oregon city attorneys Justices of the Oregon Supreme Court