The Kelly Family: Philadelphia's Golden Dynasty
Pennsylvania
The house at the corner of West Coulter Street and Henry Avenue in East Falls was the home of one of the most accomplished families in American history. John B. Kelly built it and built a life from bricklaying into a construction empire, becoming one of Philadelphia's most prominent civic figures.
Along the way, he won three Olympic gold medals in rowing during the nineteen twenties, becoming the first American to win two Olympic gold medals in a single day. His son John Junior, known as Kell, won the Diamond Sculls at the Henley Royal Regatta in nineteen forty-seven and a bronze medal at the nineteen fifty-six Olympics. Both father and son were inducted into the United States Rowing Hall of Fame and the Olympic Hall of Fame.
And then there was Grace, the youngest daughter, who won an Academy Award for The Country Girl and went on to become Princess of Monaco.
