Joseph L. Kelly was born in Marion

Marion, Virginia

Marion is a town in Smyth County, Virginia, United States. The population was 5,968 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Smyth County. The town is named for American Revolutionary War officer Francis Marion.-Tourism:...

, Smyth County, Virginia

Smyth County, Virginia

As of the census of 2000, there were 33,081 people, 13,493 households, and 9,607 families residing in the county. The population density was 73 people per square mile . There were 15,111 housing units at an average density of 33 per square mile...

, the son of Judge John
A. and Martha (Peck) Kelly. John A. Kelly was a lawyer and
judge of the 16th judicial circuit of Virginia for twenty-five from 1870 to 1895. Martha Peck, daughter of John and Elizabeth Peck, was from of Giles county, Virginia.

Joseph L. Kelly's primary education was received in the local schools. In 1881, he entered Emory and Henry College

Emory and Henry College

Emory & Henry College, known as E&H, Emory, or the College, is a private liberal arts college located in Emory, Virginia, United States. The campus comprises of Washington County, Virginia, which is part of the mountain region of Southwest Virginia...

, receiving the Bachelor of Arts degree in 1886 and the Master of Arts degree shortly thereafter. He entered the University of Virginia Law School in 1887 and received the LL. B. degree in 1889. He later received (June 19, 1923) an honorary degree, Doctor of Laws, from Washington and Lee University.

After graduation, he began law practice at Gate City, Scott County, Virginia

Scott County, Virginia

As of the census of 2000, there were 23,403 people, 9,795 households, and 7,023 families residing in the county. The population density was 44 people per square mile . There were 11,355 housing units at an average density of 21 per square mile...

, in association with Rufus A. Ayers

Rufus A. Ayers

Rufus A. Ayers was a Virginia lawyer, businessman, and politician, who served as Attorney General of Virginia.Ayers was born in Bedford County, Virginia. His family set out for Texas, but passed through Goodson en route, and decided to stay there. Ayers attended Goodson Academy until it was...

, a former Attorney General of Virginia

Attorney General of Virginia

The Attorney General of Virginia is an executive office in the Government of Virginia. Attorneys General are elected for a four-year term in the year following a presidential election . There are no term limits restricting the number of terms someone can serve as Attorney General...

. They both moved to Big Stone Gap a few years later and continued to practice together until 1895, when Judge Kelly entered into partnership with Joshua Fry Bullitt, Jr.

Joshua Fry Bullitt, Jr.

Joshua Fry Bullitt, Jr. was a Virginia lawyer who practiced in Big Stone Gap, Virginia. He was one of the leading citizens of Southwest Virginia in the late 19th and early 20th century, both as a practicing lawyer and as a political figure. His prominence corresponded with the rise of the coal...

  In 1898, he moved to Bristol and the firm maintained offices in both Bristol and Big Stone Gap.

Appointed to the Corporation Court of Bristol, in 1909, Judge Kelly held this position until September 1914, when he was elected to the Supreme Court of Appeals of Virginia

Supreme Court of Virginia

The Supreme Court of Virginia is the highest court in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It primarily hears appeals from the trial-level city and county Circuit Courts, as well as the criminal law, family law and administrative law cases that go through the Court of Appeals of Virginia. It is one of...

. He assumed his duties on that court in January 1914, and was elected president of the court in January 1920. He served until January 31, 1924. At that time, he resigned from the court and returned to practice, opening an office in Lynchburg.

When Judge Frederick W. Sims

Frederick W. Sims

Frederick W. Sims was born in Louisa County, Virginia during the height of the American Civil War. As a youth, he learned to work diligently for everything, even though he was a frail boy. He received his early education in the local private and public schools and, later, at the University of...

 died in February 1925, Judge Kelly was named to the Supreme Court again. He sat with the court during the March term, 1925 but died shortly thereafter in an accident in his home at Bristol, Virginia

Bristol, Virginia

Bristol is an independent city in Virginia, United States, bounded by Washington County, Virginia, Bristol, Tennessee, and Sullivan County, Tennessee....

.

Kelly was a trustee of Emory and Henry College

Emory and Henry College

Emory & Henry College, known as E&H, Emory, or the College, is a private liberal arts college located in Emory, Virginia, United States. The campus comprises of Washington County, Virginia, which is part of the mountain region of Southwest Virginia...

, a democrat, a Methodist and a member of the Kappa Sigma

Kappa Sigma

Kappa Sigma , commonly nicknamed Kappa Sig, is an international fraternity with currently 282 active chapters and colonies in North America. Kappa Sigma has initiated more than 240,000 men on college campuses throughout the United States and Canada. Today, the Fraternity has over 175,000 living...

 fraternity. He was a member of the Westmoreland and University clubs of Richmond.

On July 29, 1896, he married Mary Eloise Hull, of Marion, Virginia. Their children were: Edith Graham, Kathleen Hull, Mary Bane, Sarah Eloise — and Joseph L. Kelly, Jr (August 27, 1912-April 16, 1999), who also attended the University of Virginia Law School and later practiced law in Norfolk, Virginia

Norfolk, Virginia

Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....

.