Queer Places:
University of Pennsylvania (Ivy League), 3355 Woodland Walk, Philadelphia, PA 19104
3901 Henry Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19129
Kelly Dr, Philadelphia, PA 19130
Holy Sepulchre Cemetery
Cheltenham Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, USA
John
Brenden "Jack" Kelly Jr. (May 24, 1927 – March 2, 1985), also known as Kell
Kelly, was an American athlete, an accomplished rower, a four-time Olympian,
and an Olympic medal winner. He was also the son of triple Olympic gold medal
winner Jack Kelly Sr., and the elder brother of the actress and Princess of
Monaco, Grace Kelly. In 1947, Kelly was awarded the James E. Sullivan Award as
the top amateur athlete in the United States. Kelly was also a politician,
having served as an at-large member of the Philadelphia City Council. He also served a brief tenure as president of the United States Olympic Committee
until his death.
In 1975 Jack Kelly began a well-publicized affair with Rachel S. Harlow Billebault (born
Richard Finocchi). He ran to be the Democratic candidate but his mother publicly and financially supported his opponent. This combined with the publicity over his affair led to his dropping out. He claimed that he intended to marry Rachel, but a year later, after his mother threatened to disinherit him, he ended the relationship.
Kelly was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was the second child and only son of John Kelly Sr. and Margaret Katherine Majer. His paternal grandparents were Irish immigrants, with his grandfather being from County Mayo, Ireland. John Sr. was the son of a farmer; he started his own bricklaying business, "Kelly for Brickwork", and became a multimillionaire.[3] Margaret's parents were Germans who emigrated to the United States. Before her marriage, she was a model and competitive swimmer.[4] Kelly's uncle
George Kelly was a Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright.
Kelly had an older sister Margaret (born 1925 and nicknamed "Peggy") and two younger sisters, Grace (born 1929) and Elizabeth Anne (born 1933 and nicknamed "Lizanne").[3] Kelly's younger sister Grace would go on to become an Academy Award winning film actress who married Rainier III, Prince of Monaco in 1956. Kelly's nephew is Monaco's current monarch Prince Albert II. The children were raised in a 17-room house on Henry Avenue in East Falls, Philadelphia.
Kelly served in the United States Navy during World War II. He was stationed in United States Naval Training Center Bainbridge. Kelly graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1950 and rowed for the varsity team.[5]
Kelly represented the United States at the 1948 Summer Olympics at London, United Kingdom, the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki, Finland and the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia in rowing in the single scull (1x). He represented the United States in the double scull (2x) at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome. Kelly won a bronze medal at the 1956 Games. He also won gold medals at the 1955 and 1959 Pan American Games[2] and 1949 European Championships.[6]
Kelly was a respected businessperson as owner of "Kelly for Brickwork", a company started by his father, John B. Kelly Sr. Kelly was actively involved in politics and served for 12 years as City Councilman-At-Large in Philadelphia (D). Kelly also served on the Fairmount Park Commission.
For many years, Kelly played the role of George Washington in the annual Christmas Day re-enactment of the famous 1776 crossing of the Delaware River. The re-enactors would cross over from Pennsylvania to New Jersey on Christmas afternoon.[12]
Kelly's first wife was Mary Gray Freeman, the daughter of Monroe Edward and Christine Gray,
and the 1951 national women's champion in swimming and a member of the United States swimming team for the 1952 Olympics at Helsinki (she appeared on the cover of Life
in 1951). They married in 1954[1] and had six children, including John B. Kelly III, Susan von Medicus, and Elizabeth "Liz" Kelly.[13][14] He served as Philadelphia City Councilman-at-Large from 1967 to 1979. Kelly and Freeman divorced in 1980.[14]
Following his divorce, Kelly married Sandra Lee Worley, a banker, the daughter
of Chief Warrant Officer Russell Edwin and Laura Kristine Worley, in 1981. They remained married until Kelly's death in 1985.[14][15]
On the morning of March 2, 1985, Kelly suffered a fatal heart attack while jogging to The Athletic Club in Philadelphia after his customary morning row on the Schuylkill River.[14] His body was discovered on 18th and Callowhill Street shortly after 9:30 am. Kelly was taken to Hahnemann University Hospital where he was pronounced dead.[9]
Jack Kelly Jr.'s private funeral was held in Philadelphia. Among the attendees were his brother-in-law Rainier III, Prince of Monaco, his nieces Princess Caroline and Princess Stéphanie, his nephew the-then Prince Albert, then Philadelphia mayor Wilson Goode and former Philadelphia mayors William J. Green, III and Frank Rizzo. John Kelly Jr. is buried in Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Cheltenham Township, Pennsylvania.[16]
Kelly Drive, Philadelphia, formerly East River Drive, was renamed in his honor after his death. Boathouse Row is located here.
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