Barbara B. Kennelly

Barbara Bailey Kennelly (born Barbara Ann Bailey; July 10, 1936) is an American politician. She is a former Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from Connecticut.

Family and Education Kennelly was born Barbara Ann Bailey in Hartford, Connecticut, on July 10, 1936. Her father was long-time Democratic Party leader John M. Bailey.

Kennelly studied at St. Joseph Cathedral School and graduated from Mount St. Joseph Academy in West Hartford in 1954. She earned a B.A. from Trinity College in Washington, D.C. (now Trinity Washington University) in 1958 and a certificate from the Harvard-Radcliffe Program in Business Administration in 1959. In 1971, she earned a master's degree from Trinity College in Connecticut. She has three daughters, one son, and twelve grandchildren.

Career In 1975, Kennelly was elected to the Hartford Court of Common Council, a position she held until 1979. She served as the Secretary of the State of Connecticut from 1979 until 1982. In 2006, Nancy Pelosi appointed her to the Social Security Advisory Board.

As of 2015, Kennelly is a member of the board of the International Foundation for Electoral Systems, a non-profit that provides assistance with elections in many countries. She is the president of the United States Association of Former Members of Congress.

The Barbara B. Kennelly Post Office Building in Hartford is named in her honor.