Thomas Pelly was born in Seattle, employed in real estate and attended the University School which is in Canada.
Pelly was born in Seattle to Elizabeth Montgomery (nee Minor), daughter of early Seattle mayor Thomas T. Minor, and English-born Bernard Pelly. He was employed in real estate and the banking industry from 1921 to 1930, after which he was an officer of a printing and stationery company until 1955. He attended public schools, the University School in Victoria, British Columbia, and the Hoosac School in Hoosick, New York. 
