About David Kelton
David Kelton, a proud native Texan and life-long resident of Dallas, served the people of Texas and Dallas County as a judicial officer from
March 1998 through December 31, 2006. His strength of character and life's philosophy were established
through the guidance of his parents, Philip and Dolly Kelton, and
through the lessons learned over 25 years of trying cases throughout
the State of Texas.
Philip Kelton was a founding partner of the Dallas law firm, Strasburger
& Price. David's love of law and legal instincts were inspired
by his father's life long mentoring. Dolly Kelton was a teacher at the Hockaday
School and counselor at Camp Waldemar. David's brother, Philip Kelton
Jr., is a distinguished surgeon at Baylor University Medical Center.
David is married to his lovely wife, Ruth, has two sons, Bryan and Matthew, and a granddaughter, Finley. Ruth is an accomplished businesswoman who runs her
own association management firm. Bryan is the owner of a local advertising agency. Matthew is a Junior at Texas Tech University, and
is interested in pursuing a career in sociology and psychology. And Finley is a vibrant toddler that keeps Grandpa on his toes.
David Kelton is committed to the community in ways that go beyond
his judicial service. He has served on the board of directors of
the Downtown Dallas YMCA and has been a “Y” volunteer
for 30+ years. David has discovered a passion for the Arts through
his acting in shows at Duncanville, Frisco, Mesquite and Richardson
community theatres over the past 11 years. He formerly served on
the board of directors for the Richardson Community Theatre.
David received a B.A. in English and History from the University
of Colorado in 1968. He spent a year fulfilling his Basic Training
requirements in the Texas Army National Guard before entering law
school and completing his 6-year enlistment in 1974. He graduated
with a Juris Doctor degree in 1972 from the University of Texas
School of Law.
David's legal career began in 1972 as an associate with the Akin,
Vial Law firm. In June 1975, he became a partner in the law firm
of Johnson, Shanklin, Billings, Kelton & Porter. David entered into a solo practice in 1980, representing individuals and corporations
in a variety of venues, including: plaintiff and defense personal
injury litigation, business litigation, probate, family, real estate
and corporate matters.
In 1998 David had an opportunity to serve the people of Dallas
County after being part of the legal community for 26 years. He
was selected to be a Civil District Court Master by the 13 sitting
State Civil District Judges from a select group of 50 applicants
for the position. He served as Court Master until May 2002. During
his tenure as Court Master, he presided over thousands of hearings
and non-jury trials. You can find a profile of David Kelton during
his tenure as Court Master by clicking
here.
David Kelton served the community as a State District
Judge with distinction during his tenure. As an attorney and when he was a judge he has always strived for excellence. He acquired
the extra hours needed to become and maintain his membership in
the College of the State Bar of Texas. He was selected to be a Founding
Fellow of the Dallas Association of Young Lawyers. His ratings by members of the Dallas Bar Association in the DBA
Judicial Evaluation Polls when he served as a Court Master and as a State District Judge were among the highest ratings of all judicial officers. Martindale-Hubbell
describes David Kelton as an “AV”© rated attorney
for “having reached the height of professional excellence”
and recognizes that he has attained “the highest levels of
skill and integrity.”
David Kelton's broad community ties and tireless dedication to a strong philosophy of fairness and integrity has enabled him to marshal strong support from all aspects of Dallas County - legal and political.
