Mike Kelly (R-PA-3)

Mike Kelly, Congressman Pennsylvania District 3

George J. “Mike” Kelly, Jr.

Mike Kelly Congressional Candidate Pennsylvania District 3

Mike Kelly Biography from House.gov

Mike Kelly was born in Pittsburgh and raised in Butler, PA, where he has lived for the past 53 years. After graduating from Butler High School in 1966, Mike attended the University of Notre Dame on a football and academic scholarship. After college, Mike moved back to Butler to work at Kelly Chevrolet-Cadillac, Inc., a company founded by his father in the early 1950s. Mike took ownership of the dealership in the mid-1990s, expanding its operations to include Hyundai and KIA franchises.

Mike currently employs over 100 people from the region, and is a leader in the local and national automotive industry. Mike has served as Chairman of the Hyundai Eastern Region Dealer Council, Vice Chairman of the Hyundai National Dealer Council, and has served on the boards of the Chevrolet Dealers Advertising Association of Pittsburgh and the Cadillac Consultants of Western Pennsylvania. In addition, Mike was Secretary and Treasurer of the Hyundai initiative “Hope on Wheels,” which has donated over $14 million to childhood cancer research institutions nationwide.

Mike was a Butler City councilman, and has sat on the boards of several local and civic organizations, including the Housing Authority of Butler County, the Redevelopment Authority of Butler County, and the Moraine Trails Council of Boys Scouts of America. In recognition of Mike’s extensive volunteer and charitable work, Catholic Charities gave Mike the Mary DeMucci Award and the Mayor of Butler designated October 26, 2001 as “Mike Kelly Day” for his commitment to his hometown.

Dedicated to improving education, Mike founded the Butler Quarterback Club and The Golden Tornado Scholastic Foundation, which provides unique and innovative educational programs for students in the Butler Area School District. Mike and his wife, Victoria, a former elementary school teacher, also established the Mary McTighe Kelly Creative Teaching Grant for elementary educators and the Lighthouse Foundation’s One Warm Coat Program, which helped collect over 500 winter coats for students in need in the Butler community.

Mike and Victoria have four children: George III, Brendan, Charlotte and Colin; and are the proud grandparents to George IV, Vivian, Elizabeth, Helena, and Elaina. Mike’s family and friends were with him on January 5, 2011, when Mike was sworn into office as the U.S. Representative of the 3rd Congressional District of Pennsylvania. Mike looks forward to representing the interests and voicing the concerns of the 3rd District, especially as they relate to Mike’s work on the Oversight and Government Reform Committee, the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, and the Education and Workforce Committee.

Biography of Mike Kelly from Mike Kelly for Congress

Husband. Father. Grandfather. Coach. Businessman. Leader. At 63 years young, these are all words that are used to describe first term U.S. Representative Mike Kelly. Many will try to call him Congressman, but he insists on “Representative” or preferably, “Just Mike.”

Born to a middle class family in Pittsburgh but raised in Butler, Pennsylvania, Mike, his wife Vicki and family have worked hard to achieve the American dream. After graduating from the University of Notre Dame, Mike went to work for the family business, Kelly Chevrolet-Cadillac, Inc. that was founded by Mike’s dad in the 1950’s. Mike purchased the dealership in 1995 and has expanded the business to include Hyundai and Kia Franchises.

Kelly Automotive employs over 100 people from western Pennsylvania. Mike has received national recognition in the automobile business including Chairman of the Hyundai Eastern Region Dealer Council and Vice Chairman of the Hyundai National Dealer Council. Mike was also the Secretary and Treasurer of the Hyundai initiative “Hope on Wheels,” which has donated over $14 million to childhood cancer research institutions.

Mike was motivated to run for Congress after experiencing the intrusiveness of the growing federal government first-hand. When the federal government took over General Motors, Mike received a letter and a call telling him the government would be taking away one of his successful franchises. Although the company had been successful and met all of requirements of the franchise agreement, the “new” General Motors was going to take the franchise from the Kelly family, also likely resulting in the loss of many jobs at Mike Kelly Automotive. But Mike hired an attorney and took on the federal government and ultimately won the battle to keep his franchise. Mike is often quoted as saying, “If my federal government can try and do this to me, they can try and do this to anyone.” Together, with his family, he decided to run for Congress and fight against the gross over-reach of the Obama administration.

Before running for Congress, Mike was also active in local government in Butler County. He served terms on the Butler Area School Board, Butler City Council, the Housing Authority of Butler County and the Redevelopment Authority of Butler County.

Because of a lot of hard work and blessings from the Lord, Mike and Vicki have been able to give back to their community through a number of philanthropic causes including the Golden Tornado Scholastic Foundation, the Mary McTighe Kelly Creative Teaching Grant for elementary educators and the Lighthouse Foundation’s One Warm Coat program.

Mike and Vicki have 4 children and are the proud grandparents of 5 grandchildren.