Harrison Kelley.
Kelley was a soldier and a member of Congress in Kansas.
Kelley was a native of Ohio, born in Montgomery Township, Wood County, on May 12, 1836. He grew up on a farm and received his education in public schools. When he turned 22, he moved to Kansas in March 1858 and settled on a claim. At the onset of the Civil War, he enlisted in the Fifth Kansas Cavalry. He was promoted through the ranks to the position of captain and served with Company B for two years. After being mustered out at the conclusion of the war, he returned to his homestead.
Kelley was actively involved in public affairs and local politics. He served one term in the Kansas State Legislature and was appointed Brigadier General of the Kansas State Militia in 1865. Three years later, the governor appointed him to the board of directors for the state penitentiary, where he served for five years. He also held the position of receiver of the United States land office in Topeka and later became the Assessor of Internal Revenue.
In 1888, he was elected on the Republican ticket to fill the vacancy in the United States House of Representatives, occasioned by Thomas Ryan’s resignation. Kelley died in Burlington, Kansas, on July 24, 1897.
©Kathy Alexander/Legends of Kansas, updated June 2025.
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