Milton Kelly (September 9, 1818 – April 9, 1892) was an American lawyer, politician, jurist and newspaper editor who served on the Idaho Territorial Supreme Court from 1865 to 1870, and as owner and editor of the ''

Idaho Statesman The ''Idaho Statesman'' is the daily newspaper of Boise, Idaho, in the western United States. It is owned by The McClatchy Company. History The paper was first published as the ''Idaho Tri-Weekly Statesman'' on July 26, 1864, by James S. Reynold ...

'' from 1871 to 1889.

Biography

Kelly was born on September 9, 1818, in

Onondaga County, New York Onondaga County ( ) is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 476,516. The county seat is Syracuse, New York, Syracuse. The county i ...

, the son of a farmer. He was educated in

Bloomfield, New York Bloomfield is a village in Ontario County, New York, United States. The population was 1,361 at the 2010 census. The Village of Bloomfield is in the Town of East Bloomfield and is west of Canandaigua. History The village was part of the Ph ...

, before relocating to Ohio, and then Wisconsin, where he was a merchant, studied law, and was admitted to the bar around 1845. In 1843, he married Connecticut native Lois Eliza Humphrey, and they would have four children. After prominently practicing law there, he moved to West in 1861, first to California, then to

Auburn, Oregon Auburn is a ghost town in rural Baker County, Oregon, United States. Auburn lies off Oregon Route 7 southwest of Baker City and east of McEwen on the edge of the Blue Mountains. Auburn is deserted today, but the former gold mining boomtow ...

, where he engaged in the transportation business between that town and Placerville, which would become part of the

Idaho Territory The Territory of Idaho was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 3, 1863, until July 3, 1890, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as Idaho. History 1860s The territory ...

in 1863. He moved to Placerville, and then Rocky Bar, in 1863, and was elected by

Boise County Boise County is a rural mountain county in the U.S. state of Idaho. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 7,610. The county seat is historic Idaho City, which is connected through a series of paved and unpaved roads to Lowm ...

as a Republican to the first session of the Idaho Territorial House of Representatives. He was defeated for re-election the following year. Kelly received a

recess appointment In the United States, a recess appointment is an appointment by the President of the United States, president of a Officer of the United States, federal official when the United States Senate, U.S. Senate is in Recess (motion), recess. Under the ...

to be Associate Justice of the Idaho Territorial Supreme Court from President

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...

that took effect on April 17, 1865, two days after Lincoln's assassination. On December 20, 1865, President

Andrew Johnson Andrew Johnson (December 29, 1808July 31, 1875) was the 17th president of the United States, serving from 1865 to 1869. The 16th vice president, he assumed the presidency following the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Johnson was a South ...

nominated him for a full term, and he was confirmed by the senate on January 15, 1866. As his four-year term ended, Kelly was renominated by President

Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was the 18th president of the United States, serving from 1869 to 1877. In 1865, as Commanding General of the United States Army, commanding general, Grant led the Uni ...

on January 17, 1870, and was confirmed by the senate a week later. He was removed by President Grant in July 1870, and replaced by W. C. Whitson. After his judicial service, which was based in Lewiston, Kelly relocated to

Boise Boise ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho. As of the 2020 census, there were 235,685 people residing in the city. Located on the Boise River in southwestern Idaho, it is east of the Oregon border and nor ...

, and on January 2, 1871, he purchased the ''

'' from James Reynolds. Under his leadership, it strengthened its position as the state's leading paper, and he sold it in 1889 to the newly formed Statesman Publishing Company. That year, he purchased a resort near Table Rock that would be known as Kelly Hot Springs. He died in Boise on April 9, 1892.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kelly, Milton 1818 births 1892 deaths People from Onondaga County, New York People from Boise, Idaho Members of the Idaho Territorial House of Representatives Associate justices of the Idaho Territorial Supreme Court Editors of Idaho newspapers