Kelly, John H.

Born in Cortland County, New York, in 1842, John H. Kelly worked in Michigan’s lumber industry, operated a general store, and served as postmaster of Midland before relocating to California in 1887. Settling in Fresno County, Kelly acquired a 40-acre vineyard south of Fresno and helped organize one of California’s earliest cooperative raisin packing associations, traveling across the United States to establish national distribution channels before serving as the organization’s president. He later managed the Chaddock Packing Company for twelve years and spent time in Alaska during the Yukon gold rush, operating a mercantile business in Dawson and holding an interest in the Skookum Mine on Bonanza Creek.

Upon returning to Fresno, Kelly entered the real estate and development business, purchasing and subdividing residential tracts near the State Normal School and Russian Town, where he constructed and financed numerous homes. A prominent sports enthusiast, he helped organize the Gentlemen’s Driving Club of Fresno in 1903 and owned several well-known harness racing horses, including the pacing mare Diablo. Married in 1873 to Almira M. (Seaver) Flood, Kelly was widely recognized for his public-spirited leadership, commercial enterprise, and extensive contributions to the growth of Fresno.