John Edward Kelley was a newspaperman and a politician from South Dakota

South Dakota

South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...

. He was born in Columbia County, Wisconsin

Columbia County, Wisconsin

-Unincorporated communities:*Anacker*Belle Fountain*Durwards Glen*East Friesland*Harmony Grove*Ingle*Keyeser*Lake Wisconsin*Leeds*Lowville*Marcellon*North Leeds*Okee*Otsego-External links:***...

, near Portage City, in 1853, where he attended the public schools.

He moved to Moody County

Moody County, South Dakota

As of the census of 2000, there were 6,595 people, 2,526 households, and 1,763 families residing in the county. The population density was 13 people per square mile . There were 2,745 housing units at an average density of 5 per square mile...

 of the Dakota Territory

Dakota Territory

The Territory of Dakota was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1861, until November 2, 1889, when the final extent of the reduced territory was split and admitted to the Union as the states of North and South Dakota.The Dakota Territory consisted of...

, in what is now South Dakota, in 1878 and engaged in agricultural pursuits. He also engaged in the newspaper business in Flandreau, South Dakota

Flandreau, South Dakota

Flandreau is a city in Moody County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 2,341 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Moody County...

. He was elected to the South Dakota House of Representatives

South Dakota House of Representatives

The South Dakota House of Representatives is the lower house of the South Dakota State Legislature. It is made up of 70 members, two from each legislative district...

 for 1890 and 1891. He ran for the United States House of Representatives

United States House of Representatives

The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...

 1893 and 1895 on the Populist

Populist Party (United States)

The People's Party, also known as the "Populists", was a short-lived political party in the United States established in 1891. It was most important in 1892-96, then rapidly faded away...

 ticket, finally winning election in 1896. He lost his bid for reelection, and returned to agricultural pursuits near Colman, South Dakota

Colman, South Dakota

Colman is a city in Moody County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 594 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Colman is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land....

. He was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention

Democratic National Convention

The Democratic National Convention is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 1852 national convention...

 in 1912, and held the office of register of the United States land office at Pierre, South Dakota

Pierre, South Dakota

Pierre is the capital of the U.S. state of South Dakota and the county seat of Hughes County. The population was 13,646 at the 2010 census, making it the second least populous state capital after Montpelier, Vermont...

 from 1915 to 1918. He moved to St. Paul, Minnesota, and become editor of the Cooperative Herald.. He died in Minneapolis, Minnesota

Minneapolis, Minnesota

Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...

in 1941.