William D. Kelley (April 12, 1814 - January 9, 1890) was a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania. William Darrah Kelley, a Quaker, was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He served as a judge of the Court of Common Pleas for Philadelphia from 1846-1856. Kelley was elected as a Republican to Congress in 1860 and served from March 4, 1861, until his death in Washington, D.C.. He was nicknamed "Pig-Iron Kelley". In 1871, he was the first Washington politician to suggest of what would later become Yellowstone National Park, as reported by Jay Cooke: "Let Congress pass a bill reserving the Great Geyser Basin as a public park forever--just as it has reserved that far inferior wonder the Yosemite Valley "[1] He served as Chairman on the Committee on Coinage, Weights, and Measures, as Chairman of the Committee on Ways and Means, and on the Committee on Manufactures (51st United States Congress). His daughter Florence Kelley was an influential social reformer, associated with Hull House.
Notes
- ^ As reported in a letter from Jay Cooke to Ferdinand Hayden [1]
Sources
- William D. Kelley at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- The Political Graveyard
| Preceded by William Millward |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania's 4th congressional district 1861-1890 |
Succeeded by John E. Reyburn |
