Edward Joseph Kelly

Infobox_Politician
name = Edward Joseph Kelly


width = 150px
height = 200px
birth_date = birth date|1876|5|1|mf=y
birth_place = Chicago, Illinois
death_date = death date and age|1950|10|20|1876|5|1|mf=y
death_place = Chicago, Illinois
residence = Chicago, Illinois
office = Mayor of Chicago
order = 46th
term_start = April 8, 1933
term_end = 1947
predecessor = Frank J. Corr
successor = Martin H. Kennelly
party = Democratic
religion = Catholic
spouse =
children =
website =

Edward Joseph Kelly (May 1, 1876 – October 20, 1950; buried in Calvary Cemetery). Served as chief engineer of the Chicago sanitary district in the 1920s, and later as mayor of Chicago, Illinois (1933-1947) for the Democratic Party. He held many distinctions in Chicago politics: He was the first of five Chicago Mayors from Bridgeport, [cite web|url=http://www.uic.edu/orgs/LockZero/V.html|accessdate=2007-09-01|title=Political History of Bridgeport|publisher=University of Illinois - Chicago] the first man to voluntarily leave the office of Cook County Democratic Committee Chairman, [cite web|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,888213-1,00.html|title=Call Me Jack|accessdate=2007-09-01|date=1946-07-22|work=Time Magazine|publisher=Time Inc.] and he distinguished himself as mayor by reducing the city's debt by $100,000,000, leaving it solvent.

Kelly was the chief engineer of the Sanitary district in the 20s under the sponsorship of Patrick Nash who owned a sewer contracting company that did millions of dollars of business with the city.cite web|url=http://www.roosevelt.edu/chicagohistory/mod3-chap2.htm|accessdate=2007-08-29|title=History of Chicago from Trading Post to Metropolis (Module 3 Chapter 2-Chicago During the Great Depression)|publisher=Roosevelt University|year=2006] He subsequently became president of the South Park Board, a position that presided over the building of Soldier Field. Under his tenure Soldier Field cost $8 million, while a similar Los Angeles stadium only cost $1.7 million.

Following the assassination of Mayor Anton Cermak Kelly was hand picked by his friend, Patrick Nash, Chairman of the Cook County Democratic Party, for the mayoralty election of 1933. [cite news | title = Edward J. Kelly Elected as New Mayor of Chicago--Takes Oath of Office After Action by City Council | work = Chicago Tribune | pages = 38 | date = 1933-04-14 | accessdate = 2007-10-14] Together, Kelly and Nash built one of the most powerful, and most corrupt, big city political organizations, called the "Kelly-Nash Machine."

Kelly was a fiercely loyal New Deal Democrat during the Great Depression. During the 1940's Kelly's administration was shaken by a series of major scandals, and further undermined by Kelly's integrationist views on race and support for open housing in the highly segregated city of Chicago.fact|date=August 2007

Kelly was Mayor of Chicago during the 1933-1934 Century of Progress.

Sister Mary Stanisia painted his portrait in 1934.

Mayor Kelly was also famous for banning Nelson Algren's book "Never Come Morning" from the Chicago Public Library which remained in force for decades over the massive outcry by Chicago Polonia upon its release [ [https://securesite.chireader.com/cgi-bin/Archive/abridged2.bat?path=1998/981120/ALGREN&search=%22polish%20triangle%22 Reader Archive-Extract: 1998/981120/ALGREN ] ] .

In 1947 Kelly acquiesced to the Cook County Democratic Party's decision to slate a candidate with reform credentials for the office of Mayor and was succeeded by Martin H. Kennelly.

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