[4] Short biography from his 1871 obituary in The Pittsburgh Commercial: James R. Kelley was born in Ireland about the year 1839; came with his parents in his childhood to the United States, where they found an abiding place in Washington county.
Returning to his home, he was adopted by the Republicans of his county, in 1863, as one of their candidates for Assembly, and their ticket was completely triumphant.
He was re-elected in 1864 and 1865, from the district composed of Washington and Beaver, and was unanimously elected Speaker by the House of Representatives of 1866.
Retiring from the Legislature in that year he purchased the half of the Washington Reporter, and has remained in the chair editorial ever since, participating actively in the politics of the county and of the state.
He was a fine writer, thoroughly read up on the history, literature and poetry of the day, a fluent and sometimes eloquent speaker, and a capable and honest legislator, earnest and faithful in his attachments, bitter in his animosities, and almost too generous and impulsive for his own interest.