Daniel E. Kelley (Rhode Island, February 1843 – Iowa, 1905) was a musician and entertainer, who after moving to Kansas in 1872, wrote the music for " Home on the Range" (following lyrics by Brewster M. Higley), which became the state song. Kelley played violin with his brothers-in-law in the Harlan Brothers Band, but was primarily a carpenter by trade. He married Mary E. Harlan in Kansas and they had four children. He moved to Iowa in 1889 and died of a stroke there in 1905. He was buried in Fairview Cemetery, Waterloo, Iowa.

References

* * Daniel E. Kelley (1843–1905, 1905) Tombstone, Fairview Cemetery, Waterloo, Iowa. A recent plaque attached to the stone identifies him as the composer of "Home on the Range". * * 1843 births 1905 deaths 19th-century American composers 19th-century American male musicians American entertainers American male composers Musicians from Kansas {{US-musician-stub