John Kelly is a veteran Washington journalist with deep roots in Washington, DC. His family has called the District home for generations, and he counts Col. Jehiel Brooks, the namesake of the Brookland neighborhood, among his ancestors.
John spent 34 years at The Washington Post, where he became the third writer since 1947 to pen the paper’s beloved local daily human-interest column. For nearly 20 years, five days a week, he wrote about Washington’s lesser-known side: its history, its people, its quirks, and its charms. Through his annual holiday charity appeals, Post readers donated nearly $13 million to local nonprofits.
During his Post career, John also founded KidsPost, a page for young readers, and took fellowships at Harvard University’s Nieman Foundation and Oxford University’s Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism.
A University of Maryland English graduate, John accepted a buyout from The Washington Post in 2023. He lives in Silver Spring with his wife, Ruth, their yellow Lab, Archie, and a basement full of drums which he plays with his band, The Airport 77s.