Patrick H. Kelly


Patrick Henry Kelly was an American educator and politician, who served two 2-year terms as a Democratic member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Background

Kelly was born June 13, 1890 in Chicago, and grew up in Cassville, Wisconsin, attending Cassville High School and Middle School. He worked variously as a carpenter, cabinetmaker, private detective, foreman in an automobile factory, superintendent and principal of a mechanical school in Minneapolis, before going into business as a general contractor in 1953. Kelly died on July 30, 1965.

Elective office

Except for serving on his local draft board in 1938, Kelly held no public office before being elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly's Milwaukee County 10th district in 1958. He challenged eight-term incumbent Democrat Michael F. O'Connell, and defeated him in the Democratic primary by eight votes in a three-way race. In the general election, facing Republican Herbert Warren Smith as well as O'Connell, he won with 3997 votes, to 2067 for Smith and 635 for O'Connell. He was assigned to the standing committees on insurance and banking; on taxation; and on third reading.
In 1960, Kelly was himself defeated in a six-way Democratic primary, coming in second to 20-year-old college student Fred Kessler, who took a plurality with 38% of the vote, and went on to defeat Republican Herbert Smith in the general election.
In 1962, Kelly regained his old seat, winning a plurality in a four-way Democratic primary, and defeating Republican Daniel Dawson 3813 to 2185. He was assigned to the same standing committees as in his prior term.
In 1964, Kessler again unseated Kelly, taking an absolute majority in a five-way Democratic primary: Kelly came in third.