10. John Kelly used his will to address his daughter’s shopping habits
John Kelly Sr., known to his friends as Jack Kelly, was one of the most successful rowing champions in history as well as a successful Philadelphia businessman, creating a fortune of several million dollars through the construction industry. He represented the United States in the Olympics from 1948 to 1960, played professional football in 1919, and was 12-0 as an amateur boxer while serving in the army during the First World War. In construction Kelly learned to ensure that he would be paid for his bricklaying work by installing class in chimneys. When the contractor informed him that the owners were complaining about smoke, Kelly would tell them that he would address the issue once he was paid for his work. A simple brick dropped down the chimney then resolved the problem.
Despite these and other impressive accomplishments he remains most famous for being the father of actress Grace Kelly, later Princess Grace of Monaco. Obviously Kelly’s practical approach to his construction work extended to his daughter, known to be a profligate spender on clothing and jewels. In his will, John Kelly requested that her daughter’s spending be curbed by her husband Prince Rainier (he had reportedly paid a dowry of $2 million for his daughter) so as not to bankrupt the Principality of Monaco. Monaco was still solvent when Princess Grace died in 1982. The Kelly family home in Philadelphia was purchased by Prince Albert of Monaco, Grace’s son, in 2017.
