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    Kelly, William Nelson "Bill"

    Sessions Served    Other Information

    House 1971-72 (District 66B); House 1973-78 (District 2A)

    Party when first elected:  Nonpartisan Election-Liberal Caucus

    Counties Served:  Norman, Polk, Red Lake

    BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION

    Date of Birth: 12/2/1939
    Birth Place: Grand Forks, North Dakota
    Birth County:
    Birth Country: United States
    Date of Death: 7/31/2023
    Gender: Male
    Religion:
    Reported Minority: None Reported
    Other Names: Bill
    City of Residence (when first elected): East Grand Forks
    Occupation (when first elected): Teacher, East Grand Forks Senior High School

    EDUCATION

    Sacred Heart; Secondary;
    Marquette University; Attended College;
    University of North Dakota; College Graduate;
    Attended Graduate School; Political Science

    OTHER GOVERNMENT SERVICE

    U.S. Executive Branch: United States Peace Corps (Ethiopia); 1965 to 1967

    FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS

    Spouse: Janet Worth; Pat (married in 1994)
    Children: One child: Christopher
    Family Members Who Have Served in the Minnesota Legislature:

    GENERAL NOTES

    He grew up in East Grand Forks, Minnesota.

    He was a member of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party.

    He was an unsuccessful candidate for House seat 66B in 1968.

    He was chair of the House Tax Committee during the "Minnesota Miracle." "He co-authored the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) with Tom Berg and cast the deciding vote for gun-control legislation. He made a point of supporting rural as well as urban issues, advocating a vision of Minnesota as a unified state with equal opportunity for all." (Star Tribune Obituary).

    He was of French and Irish ancestry (Star Tribune Obituary).

    Most recent term photo
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    Total Days Served: 2919

    SESSIONS SERVED

    70th Legislative Session (1977-1978)

      Session Details   Convened Date: 1/4/1977
    Body: House
    District: 02A
    Elected: 11/2/1976
    Residence: East Grand Forks
    Term of Office: 1/3/1977 to 12/31/1978
    Oath Date: 1/4/1977
    Counties Represented: Norman, Polk
    Occupation: Legislator/Former Teacher, East Grand Forks Senior High School
    Party: Democratic-Farmer-Labor
    Committees:
    • Local and Urban Affairs
    • Rules and Legislative Administration
    • Taxes (Chair)
    term photo
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    69th Legislative Session (1975-1976)

      Session Details   Convened Date: 1/7/1975
    Body: House
    District: 02A
    Elected: 11/5/1974
    Residence: East Grand Forks
    Term of Office: 1/6/1975 to 1/2/1977
    Oath Date: 1/7/1975
    Counties Represented: Norman, Polk
    Occupation: Teacher, East Grand Forks Senior High School
    Party: Democratic-Farmer-Labor
    Committees:
    • Education
    • Local and Urban Affairs
    • Rules and Legislative Administration
    • Taxes (Chair)

    68th Legislative Session (1973-1974)

      Session Details   Convened Date: 1/2/1973
    Body: House
    District: 02A
    Elected: 11/7/1972
    Residence: East Grand Forks
    Term of Office: 1/1/1973 to 1/5/1975
    Oath Date: 1/2/1973
    Counties Represented: Norman, Polk
    Occupation: Teacher, East Grand Forks Senior High School
    Party: Nonpartisan Election-Democratic-Farmer-Labor Caucus
    Committees:
    • Education
    • General Legislation and Veterans Affairs
    • Governmental Operations
    • Rules and Legislative Administration
    • Transportation
    term photo
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    67th Legislative Session (1971-1972)

      Session Details   Convened Date: 1/5/1971
    Body: House
    District: 66B
    Elected: 11/3/1970
    Residence: East Grand Forks
    Term of Office: 1/4/1971 to 12/31/1972
    Oath Date: 1/5/1971
    Counties Represented: Polk, Red Lake
    Occupation: Teacher, East Grand Forks Senior High School
    Party: Nonpartisan Election-Liberal Caucus
    Committees:
    • Agriculture
    • Education
    • General Legislation and Veterans Affairs
    • Governmental Operations
    • Transportation

    OTHER INFORMATION

    Articles & Books About

    News Sources

    The Library maintains newspaper clippings on individual legislators during their terms. Clippings are available from 1973 to the present in a variety of formats: 1973-1999, microfiche available at the Library; 2000-2009, scanned in yearly compilations and digitally available on the legislative network; 2009-present, archived in a searchable database maintained by the Library and available on the legislative network.
    These files are available in the Legislative Reference Library.

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