Skip to main content Skip to office menu Skip to footer
Capital IconMinnesota Legislature
The Library’s primary location will be 3238 Minnesota Senate Building until January 12, 2027. Visit us there or contact us at 651-296-8338 or library@lrl.mn.gov.
  1. LRL Home
  2. Legislators Past & Present
  3. Member Record
Legislators Past & Present Home

William Nelson "Bill" Kelly

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   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
Click to view

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
Click to view

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.

Legislators Past & Present Home