Edwin “Ed” Kelly, who has served as Assistant Jefferson County Attorney since 2025, has announced his resignation effective April 30th — bringing to a close a remarkable legal career that has been intertwined with Jefferson County for more than five decades.
Kelly made the announcement publicly during the public comments portion of the Jefferson County Board of Supervisors meeting on Monday, April 20th, after having previously submitted a resignation letter to County Attorney Chauncey Moulding. Speaking directly to the board, Kelly reflected on what Jefferson County has meant to him throughout his life and career — a story that begins more than five decades ago.
Kelly’s connection to Jefferson County stretches back to 1971, when the Jefferson County Board of Supervisors appointed him Jefferson County Attorney to fill a vacancy that no other local attorney was willing to accept. As Kelly put it with a laugh, they had no attorney in Jefferson County who would take the job — and then along came someone just one hour out of law school. That someone was Kelly, who stepped into the role as the youngest chief prosecutor in the United States at the time. Reflecting on that moment at Monday’s meeting, Kelly told the supervisors, “It was my first job, and I bought a home in Jefferson County, raised two children, and loved my time here serving on the school board.”
He went on to thank the board members by name — Lee, Joe, and Susie — as well as Assessor Steve Wemmie, County Attorney Chauncey Moulding, Assistant County Attorney Elizabeth Estey, and Michelle Manning in the county attorney’s office. He served as Jefferson County Attorney for 11 years before pursuing other legal endeavors, and when Moulding appointed him as Assistant County Attorney approximately a year ago, Kelly described it as the bookend and capstone of his career.
“When you appointed me as an Assistant County Attorney a year ago, it was the bookend and capstone of my career,” Kelly wrote in his resignation letter to Moulding. “Now at age 80, I likely am the oldest prosecutor in America. But I now find it wise to limit the demands of public service on my life.”
“In 10 days, on April 30th, I am calling a close to my 12 years serving Jefferson County as either county attorney or assistant, and I wanted to just take a moment to thank you and all the citizens of Fairfield,” Kelly said. “April 30th will be my last day, but thank you more than I can say.”
Kelly noted that despite his last day falling on April 30th, he will be busy that morning trying cases in court. A reception is being planned for that afternoon, with the board indicating they will place a farewell on their agenda for that week to give him a proper sendoff.
Kelly added during the meeting, “I’ve loved Jefferson County. I served on the school board. I’ve handled cases for the city as a defense attorney. It’s just been my life for the last 55 years to be fortunate to do that, and then all of the state of Iowa as an assistant United States attorney. Thank you.”
Kelly’s legal career is nothing short of extraordinary. He earned his bachelor’s degree in History from Wayne State College in 1968 before attending the University of Iowa College of Law, where he earned his Juris Doctorate. He went on to found the Kelly and Morrissey Law Firm in Fairfield in partnership with John A. Morrissey, later served on the Fairfield School Board, and was listed in Who’s Who in American Law from 1980 through his 1991 appointment to the U.S. Department of Justice. In 1991, he was appointed Senior Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of Iowa in Des Moines and was later detailed to the United States Senate in Washington, D.C. After 15 and a half years as a federal prosecutor, Kelly and his wife Sue took what he described as a midlife sabbatical, sailing a catamaran to 49 countries on five continents over 14 years before returning to Jefferson County to serve once more.
Kelly noted in his resignation letter that he intends to remain active as a lawyer, just at a less demanding pace than that required of a public prosecutor. “I intend to remain publicly active as a lawyer for as long as I am able to, but at a lower level than the hectic challenging pace required for a public prosecutor,” he wrote.
Photo by A.J. Roe.
