Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1886-06-03
JOHN KELLY DEAD.
Hhe Great Tammany Leader and
Politician PASSES Away.

Sess h1mhhuy hEehuer and
Politician Passes Away.
New YORK, June John Kelly died
at $40 this afternoon. MIR. Kelly had
been i'll for seven months. During the
last few weeks he seemed to feel compare.
lively we'll, but on Sunday last, at s i. M,
he was taken with an attack OF faintinQ,
and became weaker afterward. Monday
he was worse, but this morning an i'm
proyement was apparent.
At noon, however, he began to sink and
the approach of the end was realized.
Mr.. Kelly's death was painless, although
he was conscious to the last. Only Mrs.
Kelly and her two children were present
when the patient passed away. Mrs.
Kelly was prostrated by the blow and ia
too i'll to see anybody. No funeral ar
rangements have as yet been made.
John Kelly was born in Hester street,
in the Fourteenth ward of New York CITY,
April goth, 1922. His father emiQrated
to this country from Ireland on account
of the troubles of 1898 and came imme.
dlately to New York. John was one of a
large family who, at an early age were
left dependent upon their mother for sun
port and education, receiving the latter AZ
a public school. When II years old he
was apprenticed to CRATE manufacturer
IN Grand street, and at "A went into bust
ness for himself. He was elected alder
man of the Fourteenth ward in 1854. the
next year to Congress- and reelected to
the latter body in 1867. He was elected
sheriff of the city and county of New
York, before the close of his second term
in Congress, and served three years. In
1860 he was again elected sheriff. but was
out of Office from 1869 to 1876. In the
interval, however, he became more infIu-
entinl politician than ever, and succeeded
Tweed as chief of Tammany Hall, after
the reorganization. He first attracted
the general attention of the country az
large by his bitter opposition to Mr.
Tilden's nomination AT the st, Iouis con
yention. In December, 1876, Mavor
Wickham appointed him comptroller To
succeed Andrew ii. Green, the preyious
nomination of James s. Thayer, which
the aldermen refused to confirm, having
been withdrawn. The election of Edward
Cooper as mayor over his own peraonal
candidate, Augustus Schell, in 1878, was
q blow from which he never recovered
and he was kept on the defensive dnring
the whole of Mayor Cooper's term. Gov
Robinson proved himself ever ready tn
aid the mayor in his warfare upon Kelly
and the latter retaliated by running as an
independent candidate for governor i'm
1879, thereby permitting Cornell TO
slip in by plurality. The Tam
many "Boss" kept up the fight bv
making Mr.. Tildens nomination at
Cincinnati impossible. Although he and
his delegates were refused admission IN
the convention he acquiesced in the nom.
nation of General Hancock, and in the
presence of the convention professed to
be reconciled with the anti -Tammanyites,
In 1884 at Chicago Mr.. Kelly opposed the
nomination OF Cleveland and was willing
to accept Tilden. When Cleveland wos
nominated he acquiesced sullenly after his
friend, the late Thomas A. Hendricks, was
nominated for Vice-President. In Decem.
Der, 1884, Mr.. Kelly retired from all par
tisan control and resigned his office of
Grand Sachem of the Tammany Society
Broken in health and spirit, he has since
lived quietly at his country mansion.