Jonathan A. Veley was born in Columbus, Ohio in 1967 and has lived in Central Ohio his entire life.  He graduated as class valedictorian from Westerville South High School in 1986, attended advanced college placement classes at Otterbein College, then attended Ohio University, where he graduated summa cum laude in 1989 from the  E.W. Scripps School of Journalism, Honors Tutorial College, B.S. Journalism.  He was named Outstanding Journalism Student of the Year by the Scripps School in 1989.

Mr. Veley earned his law degree from The Ohio State University in 1992 and began practicing with the Newark law firm of Reese, Pyle, Drake & Meyer, PLL later that year.  In early 1999 he established his own firm in Pataskala, Ohio, moving the firm's headquarters to Newark in October, 2000. 

In addition to his work as an attorney, Mr. Veley is also a licensed title insurance agent qualified to handlle residential and commercial real estate closings throughout Ohio.  He is sole member of Jonathan Properties, Ltd., a company that invests in, and renovates residential and commercial real estate, including the firms's facilities (built in 1868).

Mr. Veley is actively invovled in collecting and restoring vintage fountain pens and mechanical pencils, and he regularly exhibits at several national pen shows across the country.  He has established the Online Mechanical Pencil Museum as a resource to the pen and pencil collecting community. 

His other hobbies include working on his Indian Drifters and his 1962 Ford Thunderbird.

Mr. Veley resides in Newark, Ohio, with his wife, Janet, and their three children.