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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
    Click to view
    Total Days Served: 2919

    SESSIONS SERVED

    70th Legislative Session (1977-1978)

      Session Details
    Body: House
    District: 02A
    Elected: 11/2/1976
    Residence: East Grand Forks
    Term of Office: 1/3/1977 to 12/31/1978
    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
    Click to view

    69th Legislative Session (1975-1976)

      Session Details
    Body: House
    District: 02A
    Elected: 11/5/1974
    Residence: East Grand Forks
    Term of Office: 1/6/1975 to 1/2/1977
    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
    Body: House
    District: 02A
    Elected: 11/7/1972
    Residence: East Grand Forks
    Term of Office: 1/1/1973 to 1/5/1975
    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
    Click to view

    67th Legislative Session (1971-1972)

      Session Details
    Body: House
    District: 66B
    Elected: 11/3/1970
    Residence: East Grand Forks
    Term of Office: 1/4/1971 to 12/31/1972
    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

    These files are available in the Legislative Reference Library.

    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.

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