Frank J. Kelley

Frank J. Kelley (born 1924), was the 50th Attorney General of the U.S. state of Michigan. His 37-year term of office, from 1961 to 1998, made him both the youngest (36 years old) and oldest (74 years old) Attorney General in the state's history, and led to his nickname as the "Eternal General". He is the longest serving state attorney general in U.S. history.

After receiving undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Detroit, Kelley became a lawyer in private practice and received an appointment as city attorney of Alpena, Michigan.

Kelley was appointed as Attorney General in 1961 by Governor John Swainson to fill a vacancy left when Paul L. Adams became a Justice of the Michigan Supreme Court. Kelley was elected in his own right as the Democratic candidate 10 times before his retirement from the position in 1998, when he was succeeded by Jennifer Granholm, who is now the Governor of Michigan. Governor Granholm has publicly acknowledged Kelley to be one of her mentors and closest advisors.

Kelley was the first state attorney general to establish both a consumer protection and environmental protection division. He became nationally recognized in the area of consumer protection appearing annually on the NBC show "Dateline" to discuss issues such as item pricing. He also gained statewide acclaim for battling utilities and insurance companies on rate increases.

While Attorney General, Kelley ran for election to the U.S. Senate in 1972, but lost to incumbent Robert P. Griffin.

After his departure from the Attorney General's office, Kelley founded Kelley Cawthorne, a prominent lobbying and law firm in Lansing, Michigan. In private practice he has represented the late Marge Schott during the sale of her majority interest in the Cincinnati Reds Major League Baseball franchise. He also represents a host of major companies such as DTE Energy, Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Michigan, and Palace Sports & Entertainment/Detroit Pistons organization.

In 1999, then Republican Governor John Engler named him to a seat Mackinac Island State Park Commission which controls 80% of the island. In 2007, Democratic Governor Jennifer Granholm named him Chair of the Commission. As Chair he replaced his law partner, Dennis O. Cawthorne, former Republican Leader of the Michigan Legislature.

Term limits

In 1993, the Michigan Constitution was amended to place term limits on many elected offices, including Attorney General. Kelley's successors are limited to two four-year terms in office. During the debate over term limits, many proponents of term limits pointed to Kelley and Michigan's then-Secretary of State Richard H. Austin, who served from 1971 to 1994, as examples of elected officials who had stayed in office too long. Upon his retirement, Kelley was still eligible for one more term. But he was stung by Austin's loss in 1994, and also said he wanted to leave on his terms, instead of having retirement forced on him.

External links

* [http://www.michbar.org/journal/article.cfm?articleID=87&volumeID=8 Michigan Bar Journal: "Michigan Lawyers in History--Frank J. Kelley: The Eternal General"]
* [http://www.kelley-cawthorne.com Kelley Cawthorne PLLC]
* [http://www.michigan.gov/ag Michigan Attorney General (official site)]
* [http://politicalgraveyard.com/bio/kelley.html#RHI0H1CU8 The Political Graveyard]