MSU Law helped Frank Kelley celebrate his 90th birthday. (l-r) MSU trustee Renee Knake Jefferson, former MSU Law professor; Former MSU Law Dean Joan W. Howarth; Kelley; former Michigan Governor James Blanchard; former Michigan Supreme Court Justice Michael Cavanagh; and former MSU Law Professor Hannah Brenner Johnson.
Kelley signed copies of his autobiography, The People’s Lawyer: The Life and Times of Frank J. Kelley, the Nation’s Longest-Serving Attorney General (co-written with Jack Lessenberry) for students following a Kelley lecture.
(Photos courtesy of MSU Law)
MSU Law
The Michigan State University College of Law community joins representatives of the Michigan legal profession in recognizing the many achievements of former state attorney general Frank J. Kelley, who died on March 7 at the age of 96.
Mr. Kelley holds the record for longest continuous tenure as a state attorney general in US history: 37 years. He was both Michigan’s youngest-ever state attorney general and, eventually, its oldest.
Mr. Kelley served under five different governors (Republicans and Democrats), transforming the role of the attorney general from a relatively narrowly defined functionary to “the people’s lawyer,” as he became known.
During Mr. Kelley’s tenure, the attorney general’s office created Environmental, Consumer Protection, and Criminal Fraud Divisions – all staples in most offices of the attorney general today.
Mr. Kelley’s impact was deeply felt throughout the legal profession in Michigan, extending into the MSU Law community. The College of Law bestowed an honorary degree upon him in 1990 and founded the Frank J. Kelley Institute of Ethics and the Legal Profession in his honor in 2009. The Kelley Institute, which will continue in perpetuity, was endowed by Frank Kelley, his many friends and admirers, and College of Law alumni.
The Kelley Institute brings a leading legal thinker to the Law College every year to offer a public lecture, teach students, and engage with faculty. From exploring emerging legal technologies to discussing the changing role of attorneys general, these high-impact speakers encourage soon-to-be lawyers to ground their future legal practice in ethics.
The 2021 Kelley Institute lecture features Judge Judith E. Levy, who was commissioned by former President Barack Obama as a United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Michigan. Her talk will be open to the public and takes place on Tuesday, April 6, at 12:15 p.m.
Associate Clinical Professor and Rental Housing Clinic Director Brian Gilmore is the current director of the Kelley Institute, and he reflected on the example set by Mr. Kelley for young lawyers.
“At a time when the importance of public service is constantly being questioned by some, Frank J. Kelley’s life and work is an example to be upheld today and forever as a model of excellence for all public servants,” said Professor Gilmore. “The Frank J. Kelley Institute, created and named in his honor, will work tirelessly always to advance the values Mr. Kelley actually lived and worked for throughout his life and legal career.”
“It is difficult to overstate Mr. Kelley’s impact on Michigan’s legal profession through his distinguished leadership and exceptional service,” said Melanie B. Jacobs, interim dean of MSU Law. “Just as he personally shaped the careers of many young lawyers over the decades, the Kelley Institute will continue to inspire
students to follow in his footsteps as lawyers and leaders.”
It was Mr. Kelley’s custom to attend the yearly lectures and offer his warm advice and encouragement to College of Law students. He celebrated his 90th birthday with the MSU Law community in 2014, sharing with students, faculty, and dignitaries the things that sustained him through a long, demanding career: an abiding love of the law, a commitment to fitness and sports, and the support that he found in his marriage.
“Work hard, wish for luck, and be grateful for the things in your life,” Mr. Kelley said. “I know I am very, very blessed.”
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