[1] In 1961, Kelly married Patricia "Tish" Greeley, who later would serve as the Speaker of the North Dakota House of Representatives.
A lieutenant in the United States Air Force, Kelly worked as an attorney in the Office of General Counsel at The Pentagon from 1959 until 1962.
From 1962 until joining the federal bench in 1998, Kelly worked in private legal practice in Fargo, North Dakota, at the Vogel Law Firm.
[4] On January 27, 1998, President Bill Clinton nominated Kelly to a seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit to replace Judge Frank J. Magill, who had taken senior status in April 1997.
[1][2] Shortly after being sworn in, Kelly fell ill with an infection in mid-October 1998 and was taken to the Mayo Clinic.