Melville Clyde Kelly (August 4, 1883 – April 29, 1935) was an American politician and publisher who served as a Republican Party member of the

U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

from

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

Biography

M. Clyde Kelly was born in Bloomfield, Muskingum County, Ohio. He attended

Muskingum College Muskingum University is a private university in New Concord, Ohio, United States. Chartered in 1837 as Muskingum College, the institution is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA). New Concord is located in far eastern Muskingum County ...

New Concord, Ohio New Concord () is a village in Muskingum County, Ohio, United States. The population was 2,361 as of the 2020 census. It is part of the Zanesville micropolitan area. New Concord is the home of Muskingum University and is served by a branch of t ...

. He was engaged in newspaper publishing at

Braddock, Pennsylvania Braddock is a Borough (Pennsylvania), borough located in the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, upstream from the mouth of the Monongahela River. The population was 1,721 as of the 2020 United States ...

, in 1903 and established the '' Braddock Leader'' in 1904. In 1907 he purchased the ''Daily News'' and the ''Evening Herald'' and consolidated them into the ''Daily News-Herald''. He was a member of the

Pennsylvania House of Representatives The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Pennsylvania General Assembly, the legislature of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. There are 203 members, elected for two-year terms from single member districts. It ...

from 1910 to 1913. Kelly was elected as a Republican to the Sixty-third Congress, but was an unsuccessful candidate in 1914. After his term in Congress, he continued his newspaper work. He was again elected as a Progressive to the Sixty-fifth and reelected as a Republican to the eight succeeding Congresses. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1934. During his tenure as Congressman, Clyde introduced a resolution to permit private contracting of airmail service. This resolution, the

Air Mail Act of 1925 The Air Mail Act of 1925, also known as the Kelly Act, was a key piece of legislation that intended to free the airmail from total control by the Post Office Department. In short, it allowed the Postmaster General to contract private companies to ...

was signed into law on February 2, 1925, prompting many companies to venture into the aviation field (e.g.,

Boeing The Boeing Company, or simply Boeing (), is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and sells airplanes, rotorcraft, rockets, satellites, and missiles worldwide. The company also provides leasing and product support s ...

Douglas Douglas may refer to: People * Douglas (given name) * Douglas (surname) Animals * Douglas (parrot), macaw that starred as the parrot ''Rosalinda'' in Pippi Longstocking * Douglas the camel, a camel in the Confederate Army in the American Civil ...

, and

Pratt & Whitney Pratt & Whitney is an American aerospace manufacturer with global service operations. It is a subsidiary of RTX Corporation (formerly Raytheon Technologies). Pratt & Whitney's aircraft engines are widely used in both civil aviation (especially ...

). The Airmail Act of 1925 was the foundation that commercial aviation is built upon.Nolan, M.S. (1999). Fundamentals of

air traffic control Air traffic control (ATC) is a service provided by ground-based air traffic controllers who direct aircraft on the ground and through a given section of controlled airspace, and can provide advisory services to aircraft in non-controlled air ...

. Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks Cole Publishing Company. After his time in Congress, he resumed his former business pursuits. He was accidentally shot while cleaning a

rifle A rifle is a long gun, long-barreled firearm designed for accurate shooting and higher stopping power, with a gun barrel, barrel that has a helical or spiralling pattern of grooves (rifling) cut into the bore wall. In keeping with their focus o ...

and died in a hospital at

Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania Punxsutawney (; Unami language, Lenape: ') is a Borough (Pennsylvania), borough in southern Jefferson County, Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 5,769. It is located approximately ...

. Clyde was interred in Mahoning Union Cemetery, near Marchand, Pennsylvania.

Sources

*
The Political Graveyard

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kelly, Melvile Clyde 1883 births 1935 deaths People from Muskingum County, Ohio Muskingum University alumni American newspaper publishers (people) Republican Party members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives Politicians from Allegheny County, Pennsylvania Deaths by firearm in Pennsylvania Accidental deaths in Pennsylvania Pennsylvania Progressives (1912) Firearm accident victims in the United States Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania Progressive Party (1912) members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania 20th-century members of the Pennsylvania General Assembly 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives