Melville Clyde Kelly (August 4, 1883 – April 29, 1935) was a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

member of the

U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

from

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

Biography

M. Clyde Kelly was born in

Bloomfield, Muskingum County, Ohio Bloomfield is an unincorporated community in Muskingum County, in the U.S. state of Ohio. History Bloomfield was laid out and plat In the United States, a plat ( or ) (plan) is a cadastral map, drawn to scale, showing the divisions of a pie ...

. He attended

Muskingum College Muskingum University is a private liberal arts college in New Concord, Ohio. Chartered in 1837 as Muskingum College, the institution is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA). Collectively, the university's alumni are referred to as the ...

New Concord, Ohio New Concord is a village (United States)#Ohio, village in Muskingum County, Ohio, Muskingum County, Ohio, United States. The population is 2,491 as of the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. New Concord is the home of Muskingum University and ...

. He was engaged in newspaper publishing at

Braddock, Pennsylvania Braddock is a borough located in the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. It is upstream from the mouth of the Monongahela River. The population was 1,721 as of the 2020 census. The borough is represented by the Pen ...

, in 1903 and established the '' Braddock Leader'' in 1904. In 1907 he purchased the ''Daily News'' and the ''Evening Herald'' and consolidated them into the ''Daily News-Herald''. He was a member of the

Pennsylvania House of Representatives The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Pennsylvania General Assembly, the legislature of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. There are 203 members, elected for two-year terms from single member districts. It ...

from 1910 to 1913. Kelly was elected as a Republican to the Sixty-third Congress, but was an unsuccessful candidate in 1914. After his term in Congress, he continued his newspaper work. He was again elected as a

Progressive Progressive may refer to: Politics * Progressivism, a political philosophy in support of social reform ** Progressivism in the United States, the political philosophy in the American context * Progressive realism, an American foreign policy par ...

to the Sixty-fifth and reelected as a Republican to the eight succeeding Congresses. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1934. During his tenure as Congressman, Clyde introduced a resolution to permit private contracting of airmail service. This resolution, the Air Mail Act of 1925 was signed into law on February 2, 1925, prompting many companies to venture into the aviation field (e.g.,

Boeing The Boeing Company () is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and sells airplanes, rotorcraft, rockets, satellites, telecommunications equipment, and missiles worldwide. The company also provides leasing and product ...

Douglas Douglas may refer to: People * Douglas (given name) * Douglas (surname) Animals *Douglas (parrot), macaw that starred as the parrot ''Rosalinda'' in Pippi Longstocking *Douglas the camel, a camel in the Confederate Army in the American Civil W ...

, and

Pratt & Whitney Pratt & Whitney is an American aerospace manufacturer with global service operations. It is a subsidiary of Raytheon Technologies. Pratt & Whitney's aircraft engines are widely used in both civil aviation (especially airlines) and military aviat ...

). The Airmail Act of 1925 was the foundation that commercial aviation is built upon.Nolan, M.S. (1999). Fundamentals of

air traffic control Air traffic control (ATC) is a service provided by ground-based air traffic controllers who direct aircraft on the ground and through a given section of controlled airspace, and can provide advisory services to aircraft in non-controlled airs ...

. Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks Cole Publishing Company. After his time in Congress, he resumed his former business pursuits. He was accidentally shot while cleaning a

rifle A rifle is a long-barreled firearm designed for accurate shooting, with a barrel that has a helical pattern of grooves ( rifling) cut into the bore wall. In keeping with their focus on accuracy, rifles are typically designed to be held with ...

and died in a hospital at

Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania Punxsutawney (; Unami language, Lenape: ' ) is a Borough (Pennsylvania), borough in southern Jefferson County, Pennsylvania. Punxsutawney is known globally for its annual Groundhog Day celebration held each February 2, during which thousands of ...

. Clyde was interred in Mahoning Union Cemetery, near Marchand, Pennsylvania.

Sources

*
The Political Graveyard

References

External links

* 1883 births 1935 deaths People from Muskingum County, Ohio Muskingum University alumni American newspaper publishers (people) Republican Party members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives People from Allegheny County, Pennsylvania Deaths by firearm in Pennsylvania Accidental deaths in Pennsylvania Pennsylvania Progressives (1912) Firearm accident victims in the United States Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania Progressive Party (1912) members of the United States House of Representatives 20th-century American politicians {{Pennsylvania-Representative-stub