The Honorable Trent Kelly
July 7, 2025
Hall of Fame Special Honoree
The Honorable Trent Kelly
Congressman Trent Kelly
Representing the First District of Mississippi
During Representative Trent Kelly’s deployment to Iraq in 2010, his three children received Our Military Kids activity awards.
Rep. Kelly knows the challenges military families face during a National Guard call-up, understands the value of Our Military Kids’ support to the populations we serve, and has been a staunch advocate for the National Guard and the military community as a whole.
Biography
On Tuesday, June 2, 2015, Trent Kelly won a special election runoff to represent the First District of Mississippi in the 114th Congress. Rep. Kelly lives in Saltillo with his wife of 33 years, Sheila, and their three children John Forrest, Morgan, and Jackson. They are members of Saltillo First United Methodist Church.
Rep. Kelly was born on March 1, 1966, in Union, Mississippi to parents John and Barbara Kelly. He graduated from Union High School and East Central Community College. He earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Mississippi and law degree from the University of Mississippi School of Law. In 2010, he received his master’s degree in Strategic Studies from the United States Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.
Rep. Kelly has spent 38 years in the Mississippi Army National Guard as a Combat Engineer and is currently serving as a Major General. In 1990, he mobilized for Desert Storm as an Engineer Second Lieutenant. In 2005, he deployed as a Major to Iraq with the 155th Brigade as the Operations Officer of the 150th Engineer Battalion. From 2009 to 2010, he deployed as a Lieutenant Colonel to Iraq as the Battalion Commander of Task Force Knight of the 155th Brigade Combat Team and commanded over 670 troops from Mississippi, Ohio, and Kentucky. He has received two Bronze Stars, the Combat Action Badge, the Bronze, Silver, and Gold de Fleury medals, and numerous other federal and state awards for his service.
Rep. Kelly has worked at McRae’s Department Store as a manager, maintained a private law practice in Saltillo, and served as Tupelo City Prosecutor and Forfeiture Attorney for North Mississippi Narcotics Unit. Prior to being elected to Congress, Rep. Kelly served as a District Attorney for the 1st Circuit Judicial District (Lee, Pontotoc, Alcorn, Monroe, Itawamba, Prentiss, and Tishomingo) managing all felony cases.
In Congress, Rep. Kelly serves on the House Armed Services Committee, serving as Chairman of the Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee. Trent also serves on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, serving as Chairman of the Defense Intelligence & Overhead Architecture Subcommittee. Rep. Kelly also serves on the House Agriculture Committee.
