Laura Kelly
Politician. Democrat. Born: January 24, 1950, New York City, New York. Married: Ted Daughety. Served in the Kansas Senate, 18th district: January 3, 2005 – January 2019. Served as 48th Governor of Kansas: January 14, 2019, to present.
Born in New York City, Kelly’s family was in the military and moved frequently. She earned a bachelor’s degree at Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois; and a master’s degree at Indiana University at Bloomington.
Kelly was director of recreation therapy and physical education at the National Jewish Hospital for Respiratory and Immune Diseases. She was a recreation therapist for Rockland Children’s Psychiatric Center in New York. From 1988 to 2004 she served as executive director of the Kansas Recreation and Park Association.
In 2004 she was elected to serve the 18th district of the Kansas Senate. Reelected three times, she served as assistant minority leader and minority whip. She was elected to be the third woman to serve as Kansas governor in 2018 with Lynn Rogers as lieutenant governor.
Kelly has served on the boards of the Sunflower State Games, Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA), Greater Topeka Chamber of Commerce, and Kansas Leadership Center. She and her husband have two daughters.
Entry: Kelly, Laura
Author: Kansas Historical Society
Author information: The Kansas Historical Society is a state agency charged with actively safeguarding and sharing the state's history.
Date Created: January 2019
Date Modified: January 2019
The author of this article is solely responsible for its content.
