Alfred Kelley | |
|---|---|
 Alfred Kelley | |
| Born | November 7, 1789 Charlton, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Died | December 2, 1859 (aged 70) |
| Occupation(s) | Banker, canal builder, lawyer, legislator, railroad executive |
| Known for | Building the Ohio and Erie Canal; saving Ohio from bankruptcy; establishing the State Bank of Ohio; Building the Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati Railroad |
Alfred Kelley (November 7, 1789—December 2, 1859) was a banker, canal builder, lawyer, railroad executive, and state legislator in the state of Ohio in the United States. He is considered by historians to be one of the most prominent commercial, financial, and political Ohioans of the first half of the 19th century.
Kelley is known as the "Father of the Ohio and Erie Canal" for his successful legislative attempt to establish the Ohio and Erie Canal. He was one of the canal's first two "acting commissioners", and oversaw its construction and completion. He was the president of Columbus and Xenia Railroad (completed in 1850) and the Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati Railroad (completed in 1851), and pushed for a state charter for the Cleveland, Painesville and Ashtabula Railroad (later known as the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railroad). For this, he is known as the architect of Ohio's rail system.
As a member of the Canal Commission Fund, he helped save Ohio from bankruptcy in 1841 and 1842. As a state legislator, he led the investigation into and secured the resignation of two Ohio State Treasurers for financial malfeasance, successfully proposed legislation abolishing imprisonment for debt, created the State Bank of Ohio, reformed the state's tax system, and successfully proposed legislation to create the first state oversight of public education.
Kelley was notably the first lawyer and prosecuting attorney in Cleveland. He became the youngest member of the Ohio General Assembly at the age of 25, and returned to the legislature numerous times, until he became the oldest serving in the assembly.