Kelly, John Francis (1950…), served as the White House chief of staff under United States President Donald J. Trump in 2017 and 2018. The chief of staff manages the White House staff and serves as a close adviser to the president. Kelly had earlier served for about six months as the secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security . He previously had a long career with the U.S. Marine Corps , where he achieved the rank of four-star general.
Kelly was born on May 11, 1950, in Boston, Massachusetts, in the northeastern United States. In 1970, he enlisted in the Marine Corps. After achieving the rank of sergeant in the 2nd Marine Division at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, he left the Marines in 1972 and enrolled at the University of Massachusetts. After earning a bachelor’s degree from the university in 1976, Kelly rejoined the 2nd Marine Division. Kelly married Karen Hernest in 1976. Robert Kelly, one of the couple’s three children, was killed in 2010 while leading a platoon of Marines in Afghanistan.
From 1981 to 1984, John Kelly was assigned to the Marine Corps headquarters in Washington, D.C. He then led a rifle and weapons company with the 2nd Marine Division. Following a 1987 promotion to the rank of major, Kelly held a number of leadership positions at Marine Corps Base Quantico , in Virginia. Later promoted to lieutenant colonel, Kelly commanded a battalion with the 1st Marine Division at Camp Pendleton in California. In 1995, Kelly completed his studies at the National War College in Washington, D.C. He was chosen to serve as the commandant’s liaison officer to the U.S. House of Representatives and later promoted to colonel.
In 1999, Kelly went to Belgium, where he served as the special assistant to the Supreme Allied Commander, Europe—a position within the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) . In 2001, he returned to Camp Lejeune, where he was assistant chief of staff. As a brigadier general in 2002, Kelly served in Iraq with the 1st Marine Division. From 2004 to 2007, Kelly again served in the Marine Corps headquarters. He was promoted to major general and served as commander of the I Marine Expeditionary Force. From 2009 to 2011, Kelly, now a lieutenant general, commanded the Marine Forces Reserve and Marine Forces North. In 2011 and 2012, Kelly was senior military assistant to the U.S. secretary of defense under President Barack Obama . In 2012, Kelly was promoted to four-star general and became the leader of the United States Southern Command. He retired in 2016.
After Donald Trump won the 2016 election for president, he nominated Kelly to serve as homeland security director. The U.S. Senate confirmed the nomination in January 2017. In July, Trump named Kelly to replace Reince Priebus as White House chief of staff. In December 2018, Trump announced that Kelly would step down from his position by the end of the year.
