Christopher Ellery (November 1, 1768December 2, 1840) was a

United States senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and p ...

from

Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area and the seventh-least populous, with slightly fewer than 1.1 million residents as of 2020, but i ...

. Born in

Newport Newport most commonly refers to: *Newport, Wales *Newport, Rhode Island, US Newport or New Port may also refer to: Places Asia *Newport City, Metro Manila, a Philippine district in Pasay Europe Ireland *Newport, County Mayo, a town on the ...

, he graduated from

Yale College Yale College is the undergraduate college of Yale University. Founded in 1701, it is the original school of the university. Although other Yale schools were founded as early as 1810, all of Yale was officially known as Yale College until 1887, ...

in 1787, studied law, was admitted to the

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and commenced practice in Newport. He was clerk of the superior court of Newport County from 1794 to 1798.

Early life and family

Christopher Ellery was a nephew of

William Ellery William Ellery (December 22, 1727 – February 15, 1820) was a Founding Father of the United States, one of the 56 signers of the United States Declaration of Independence, and a signer of the Articles of Confederation as a representative of Rho ...

, a

Continental Congress The Continental Congress was a series of legislative bodies, with some executive function, for thirteen of Britain's colonies in North America, and the newly declared United States just before, during, and after the American Revolutionary War. ...

man from Rhode Island. In 1784, his daughter, Betsy, married Samuel Vernon.

Slave voyage

In 1788, Ellery financed a slave voyage aboard the

brig A brig is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: two masts which are both square-rigged. Brigs originated in the second half of the 18th century and were a common type of smaller merchant vessel or warship from then until the latter part ...

''Washington'' with Constant Tabor and prominent

slave trader The history of slavery spans many cultures, nationalities, and religions from ancient times to the present day. Likewise, its victims have come from many different ethnicities and religious groups. The social, economic, and legal positions of ...

Samuel Vernon, his son in law. The captain, William Gardner, purchased 200 enslaved Africans from the Gold Coast and then sailed to

Martinique Martinique ( , ; gcf, label=Martinican Creole, Matinik or ; Kalinago language, Kalinago: or ) is an island and an Overseas department and region, overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France. An integral part of ...

where he sold 165 people. Thus, 35 may have died on the voyage through the

Middle Passage The Middle Passage was the stage of the Atlantic slave trade in which millions of enslaved Africans were transported to the Americas as part of the triangular slave trade. Ships departed Europe for African markets with manufactured goods (firs ...

Election history

Ellery was elected as a

Democratic-Republican The Democratic-Republican Party, known at the time as the Republican Party and also referred to as the Jeffersonian Republican Party among other names, was an American political party founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in the early ...

to the U.S. Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of

Ray Greene Ray Greene may refer to: * Ray Greene (politician) (1765–1849), United States senator from Rhode Island * Ray Greene (American football) (1938–2022), American football coach * Ray Greene (lacrosse) (1923–1987), American lacrosse player * Ra ...

and served from May 6, 1801, to March 3, 1805. He was defeated for reelection in 1804 by

James Fenner James Fenner (January 22, 1771April 17, 1846) was an American politician who served as a United States Senator as well as the 7th, 11th and 17th Governor of Rhode Island (on three occasions). He was the son of Arthur Fenner, the fourth governor ...

, the son of the Governor. Ellery was appointed by President

Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. He was previously the nati ...

as United States commissioner of loans at Providence in 1806, and was appointed collector of customs at Newport, succeeding his uncle, holding that office from 1820 to 1834.

The Geffroy letters

In a curious incident in 1801, a letter to President

was sent from someone purporting to be Nicholas Geffroy, a silversmith in

Newport, Rhode Island Newport is an American seaside city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island. It is located in Narragansett Bay, approximately southeast of Providence, south of Fall River, Massachusetts, south of Boston, and northeast of New ...

. The letter detailed accusations against many citizens and office-holders, and insisted that "A purification is necessary, & we cannot be purified unless you cleanse the Augean Stable completely." Geffroy received a response from Jefferson, but doubted its authenticity and denied having ever written to the President. Christopher Ellery, a local resident, vouched for its authenticity and apparently impounded the letter for return to Jefferson. He then accused Congressman John Rutledge Jr. of

South Carolina )'' Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = "Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = G ...

, also then resident in Newport, of having forged this and another letter from Geffroy. These "Geffroy letters" were subsequently published in the ''Newport Rhode-Island Republican'' on September 18, 1802, under the headline "Rutledge's Letters To the President of the United States." As noted in that article, although Geffroy possessed some mastery of spoken English, it was doubted that he could write, "with any degree of correctness, a single sentence of the language." After a flurry of accusations and affidavits, Rutledge challenged Ellery to a duel, which he declined. Rutledge assaulted Ellery in January 1803, "publicly caning him and pulling him by the nose and ears". Although Rutledge vehemently maintained his innocence in the affair, he decided not to seek reelection in 1803 given the negative publicity.

Death

Christopher Ellery died in Middletown in 1840. He was buried in Common Burying Ground and Island Cemetery in Newport.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ellery, Christopher 1768 births 1840 deaths Politicians from Newport, Rhode Island United States senators from Rhode Island Yale College alumni Rhode Island Democratic-Republicans Democratic-Republican Party United States senators