Melville Clyde Kelly

Melville Clyde Kelly (August 4, 1883 – April 29, 1935) was a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania.

Biography

M. Clyde Kelly was born in Bloomfield, Ohio. He attended Muskingum College in New Concord, Ohio. He was engaged in newspaper publishing at Braddock, Pennsylvania, 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 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 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 Airmail Act of 1925 was signed into law on February 2, 1925, prompting many companies to venture into the aviation field (e.g., Boeing, Douglas, and Pratt & Whitney). The Airmail Act of 1925 was the foundation that commercial aviation is built upon.^[1]

After his time in Congress, he resumed his former business pursuits. He was accidentally shot while cleaning a rifle and died in a hospital at Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania; he was interred in Mahoning Union Cemetery, near Marchand, Pennsylvania.

Sources

• M. Clyde Kelly at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• The Political Graveyard

References

1. ^ Nolan, M.S. (1999). Fundamentals of air traffic control. Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks Cole Publishing Company.

United States House of Representatives
Preceded by John Dalzell	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania's 30th congressional district March 4, 1913 – March 3, 1915	Succeeded by William Henry Coleman
Preceded by William Henry Coleman	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania's 30th congressional district March 4, 1917 - March 4, 1923	Succeeded by Everett Kent
Preceded by New district	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania's 33rd congressional district March 4, 1923 - March 3, 1933	Succeeded by Henry Ellenbogen
Preceded by Adam Martin Wyant	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania's 31st congressional district March 3, 1933 - March 4, 1935	Succeeded by James L. Quinn

Persondata
Name	Kelly, Melvile Clyde
Alternative names
Short description	American politician
Date of birth	August 4, 1883
Place of birth
Date of death	April 29, 1935
Place of death