1974 was a dreadful year for the GOP. They took fallout from the Watergate scandal and numerous incumbents lost. However, one gain for the GOP was in Florida’s 5th district, which had Disney World, the winner being Richard Kelly (1924-2005). However, his behavior as a judge on the sixth judicial circuit in Florida, a position he served in from 1960 to 1974, made people question his stability, with allegations that he was arrogant, paranoid, and psychotic and his behavior (Orlando Sentinel). He was reported to have engaged in unprofessional conduct by harassing lawyers and judges and berating witnesses and there were two efforts in the Florida legislature to impeach him in 1963. The first failed by seven votes, and although the second one succeeded, he was acquitted in the Senate. However, the Florida judicial qualifications commission later ordered him to undergo a psychiatric examination, but instead of going to someone the commission wanted him to, he went independently to a psychiatrist and he was ruled to be sane. Kelly publicized this finding on his campaign and once elected, he touted, “I’m the only member certified to be sane” (Time Magazine).
Congressman Kelly
Kelly’s record was down-the-line conservative, being so on nearly every hot-button issue. He was a prominent critic of food stamps notably condemned Congressional pay raises, refusing to accept the 1976 increase, donating some of the money to churches and returning some to the US Treasury. Kelly also was dead set against federal bailouts, opposing bailing out New York City in 1975 as well as the Chrysler Corporation in 1979. Kelly attributed New York City’s fiscal problems to unions and welfare recipients, stating, “The unions have forced industry out of the city. The uniformed services are the highest-paid in the U.S. of A. And welfare? City politicians keep jacking up the rates to get the ghetto vote. No doubt about it” (Hamill and Lerer, 10). Kelly was critical of both the Democratic and Republican leaderships and sided with the liberal Americans for Democratic Action a mere 3% of the time, the conservative Americans for Constitutional Action a whopping 97% of the time, and his DW-Nominate score is a 0.504. Kelly strikes me as a Freedom Caucus member way before his time. For a while, his future seemed bright as President Carter’s popularity was declining and Ronald Reagan, a far more agreeable man for him, was on the rise. However…
Downfall!
On January 8, 1980, Kelly met with two representatives of two wealthy Arab sheiks who sought permanent residence in the United States and offered him $25,000 to introduce private legislation for this purpose. Kelly stuffed the money in his pockets, asking, “Does it show?” It turns out that he needn’t have worried about that, as this transaction was caught on tape and The two representatives were none other than FBI agent Anthony Ambrosio and FBI informant Melvin Weinberg. He was one of several public officials, including a senator, caught in the Abscam Sting. Kelly was the only Republican to be snagged, and he claimed that he was doing an undercover operation of his own to uncover corruption, and the reason for him not reporting illegal activity to the FBI right away is that it would blow his cover. The voters didn’t buy this and he was defeated for renomination by Bill McCollum. The jury didn’t buy it either, and he was convicted in 1981. However, in 1982, US District Judge William Bryant overturned the conviction on the grounds of entrapment, but a three judge panel reviewing the case reinstated the conviction the next year. In 1984, he was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment by Judge Bryant, of which he served 13.
In his case, crime really didn’t pay as by the time of his imprisonment he was broke and deep in debt in legal fees at 61. Kelly stuck to his story about trying to conduct his own investigation but avoided the limelight after serving time, living the remainder of his days in the small town of Stevensville, Montana, and died on August 22, 2005 at the age of 81.Kelly overall seems to have been a rather difficult person. In addition to having a reputation for lack of collegiality on the bench, he was also married five times.
References
ADA Voting Records. Americans for Democratic Action.
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Hamill, D & Lerer, K. (1979, January 9). The Congressman from Disney World. New York Magazine, 10.
Kelly, Richard. Voteview.
Retrieved from
https://voteview.com/person/14243/richard-kelly
Nation: Among the Accused. (1980, February 17). Time Magazine.
Retrieved from
https://time.com/archive/6855680/nation-among-the-accused
Pudlow, J. (2005, February 1). House panel reminded of its impeachment powers. Florida Bar News.
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The Life and Times of Richard Kelly – Will it Sell? (1985, October 21). Orlando Sentinel.
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