Anita Palermo Kelly

Anita Palermo Kelly
Member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
from the 192nd district
In office
January 7, 1969 – November 30, 1978
Preceded byDistrict Created
Succeeded byNick Pucciarelli
Member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
from the Philadelphia County district
In office
1965–1968
Personal details
Born(1913-07-27)July 27, 1913[1]
Ozone Park, Queens, New York
DiedAugust 15, 1990(1990-08-15) (aged 77)[2]
Wynnewood, Pennsylvania
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseWilliam J. Kelly

Anita Palermo Kelly (July 27, 1913 – August 15, 1990) was a former Democratic member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from Philadelphia County. She became known for her advocacy work on behalf of people with disabilities and health concerns, as well as senior citizens.[3][4]

Self-described as "Mother Hubbard" during her legislative years, she was praised by former colleagues, at the time of her death, as "a motherly figure" and "everybody's mom." According to Bob Brady, former U.S. Congressman and chair of Philadelphia's Democratic Party:[5]

"She was as warm as could be. Everything was personal with her. Every constituent who had a problem, she would have him come down and sit in her kitchen. All you had to do is knock on her door, and she'd let you in."

  1. ^ Pennsylvania. Dept. of General Services; Pennsylvania. Bureau of Publications; Pennsylvania. Dept. of Property and Supplies (1976). The Pennsylvania Manual. Vol. 103. Department of General Services. ISSN 0275-8814. Retrieved August 4, 2015.
  2. ^ "Anita Kelly, Legislator And Committed Volunteer - philly-archives". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on December 26, 2015. Retrieved August 4, 2015.
  3. ^ Cox, Harold. "House Members K". Wilkes University Election Statistics Project. Wilkes University.
  4. ^ "Kelly, Anita Palermo" (biography), "Archives." Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania House of Representatives, retrieved online March 11, 2023.
  5. ^ Cipriano, Ralph. "Anita Kelly, legislator and committed volunteer." Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: The Philadelphia Inquirer, August 17, 1990, p. 30 (subscription required).