For more than a third of a century Peter J. Kelly has been a recognized leader in commercial circles of New Haven as a dealer in furniture, house furnishings and carpets. Through all the intervening years he has developed the business along progressive lines until he has one of the foremost establishments of the kind in the city. He was born in County Louth, Ireland, in 1848, a son of Nicholas and Mary (Callan) Kelly, who were also natives of Ireland, whence they came to the new world in 1851. They made their way direct to New Jersey and the father engaged in the livery business very successfully at Newark, there continuing his residence until his death, which occurred in 1872, when he was sixty-two years of age. His wife survived until 1876.

  In the family were nine children, of whom Peter J. Kelly was the fourth. Public and private schools of Newark afforded him his educational privileges and he pursued his studies to the age of eighteen, when he started out to earn his own livelihood. He first engaged in the retail book business in Newark, with which line of trade he was successfully connected for ten years. He then sold his interest in the business and in 1882 removed to New Haven, where he established a furniture and general house furnishings business at 821 and 823 Grand avenue, at the corner of Bradley. He began in a comparatively small way but has developed one of the leading stores of the kind in the city. In 1911 he removed to his present location at Nos. 72 and 74 Orange street, where he has thirty thousand square feet of floor space. He carries a large and most attractive line of goods, including everything needed in house furnishings, and the reliability of his methods, his fair prices and his earnest desire to please his patrons have been salient features in his growing trade. Something of the volume of his business is indicated in the fact that he employs on an average of twenty-two salespeople.

  In 1877 Mr. Kelly was married in Baltimore, Maryland, to Miss Martha Harker, a native of New Jersey, and they have become parents of seven children. In politics Mr. Kelly is a democrat where national issues are involved but casts an independent local ballot. In the years 1905 and 1906 he served as a member of the board of finance. His religious faith is that of the Roman Catholic church and he belongs to the Knights of St. Patrick and to the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks. His life has been one of untiring activity since he started out in the business world on his own account when a youth of eighteen. He has closely applied himself to the work in hand and from the faithful performance of each day’s duties has found inspiration and strength for the labors of the ensuing day. He has closely studied public needs and as the years have gone on he has achieved that success which is the legitimate reward of all honorable and intelligently directed endeavor.