Alfred Ely (February 15, 1815 – May 18, 1892) was a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

from New York. He was elected as a Republican to the Thirty-sixth and Thirty-seventh Congresses (March 4, 1859 – March 3, 1863), serving

New York's 29th congressional district New York's 29th congressional district is an obsolete congressional district for the United States House of Representatives which most recently included a portion of the Appalachian Mountains, Appalachian mountains in New York (state), New York ...

. Ely was captured by Confederate forces while spectating at the

First Battle of Bull Run The First Battle of Bull Run, called the Battle of First Manassas
. by Confederate States ...

Early life and political career

Born in

Lyme, Connecticut Lyme is a New England town, town in New London County, Connecticut, New London County, Connecticut, United States, situated on the eastern side of the Connecticut River. The town is part of the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, Conn ...

, Ely attended the common schools and

Bacon Academy Bacon Academy is a public high school in Colchester, Connecticut, in the United States. In 1800 a prominent Colchester farmer, Pierpont Bacon, died and left an endowment of thirty-five thousand dollars (with buying power equivalent to that of abo ...

Colchester, Connecticut Colchester is a New England town, town in New London County, Connecticut, United States. The town is part of the Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut, Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region. The population was 15,555 at the 20 ...

. He moved to

Rochester, New York Rochester is a city in and the county seat, seat of government of Monroe County, New York, United States. It is the List of municipalities in New York, fourth-most populous city and 10th most-populated municipality in New York, with a populati ...

, in 1835. He studied law and was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

in 1841. Ely commenced practice in Rochester. Ely was elected as a Republican to the Thirty-sixth and Thirty-seventh Congresses (March 4, 1859 – March 3, 1863). He served as chairman of the Committee on Invalid Pensions (Thirty-seventh Congress). He was not a candidate for renomination in 1862.

Civil war

While witnessing the

First Battle of Bull Run The First Battle of Bull Run, called the Battle of First Manassas
. by Confederate States ...

, Congressman Ely was taken a prisoner by the Confederates and imprisoned in

Libby Prison Libby Prison was a Confederate States of America, Confederate prison at Richmond, Virginia, during the American Civil War. In 1862 it was designated to hold officer prisoners from the Union Army, taking in numbers from the nearby Seven Days battl ...

Richmond, Virginia Richmond ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. Incorporated in 1742, Richmond has been an independent city (United States), independent city since 1871. ...

; he was there for nearly six months along with many others. Among those captured was

William H. Upham William Henry Upham (May 3, 1841July 2, 1924) was an American businessman, politician, and Wisconsin pioneer. He was the 18th governor of Wisconsin and served three terms as mayor of Marshfield, Wisconsin. He is the namesake of Upham, Wisconsi ...

the future 18th Governor of Wisconsin who was a private in the Belle City Rifles of the

2nd Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Regiment The 2nd Wisconsin Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. It spent most of the war as a member of the famous Iron Brigade of the Army of the Potomac. It suffered the largest numbe ...

. In December 1861, Ely was exchanged for Charles J. Faulkner, by the latter's own negotiations. At 5:00 AM on Christmas Day Ely was set free from

. After Ely's release, D. Appleton & Company of New York published a journal of his experience in Libby Prison in 1862. Thereafter, he resumed the practice of law. He died in

, May 18, 1892. He was interred in the Ely vault in Mount Hope Cemetery.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ely, Alfred 1815 births 1892 deaths Union army officers People of New York (state) in the American Civil War New York (state) lawyers People from Lyme, Connecticut Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) 19th-century American lawyers Bacon Academy alumni American Civil War prisoners of war held by the Confederate States of America 19th-century New York (state) politicians 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives

Early life and political career

Civil war

See also

References

External links