Kelly, John

From Lane Co Oregon

Kelly, John (1818-n.d.)

Namesake of Kelly Butte in the Springfield locale, where he first settled in 1866. He became interested in the milling industry of the city and entered into the business of lumber contracting, which he pursued until 1869. A restless, enterprising man, Kelly then served eight years as the Land Registerer in Roseburg, as a Collector of Customs in Portland (1876-1880), and was a Commissioner of the Northern Pacific Railroad for a time in Montana. He was the father of George and Tom Kelly, co-owners of the Booth-Kelly Lumber Company.

John Kelly began publishing a newspaper called the Nonpareil in 1896. He edited through 1896 and 1897. Two years later he sold the paper to J.G. Woods, who changed the name of the publication to the Springfield News. Although ownership changed over the ensuing years, the News is still the principal newspaper in the Springfield area (Graham 1978f).