Biography:

John Kelly was a businessman, Democratic politician, and Tammany Hall leader. He was born in 1822 in New York City and was the son of Irish-Catholic immigrates.
As a young man, Kelly was forced to quit school and support his family when his father died. He worked as an apprentice and later opened his own profitable business.  He completed his education by attending night school and in 1855 was elected to the US House of Representatives.  In 1859 he became city and county sheriff.  He unsuccessfully ran for mayor in 1868 and became leader of Tammany Hall in 1873.  He Kelly died in 1886 in New York City.