John J. Ely (April 7, 1778 – January 11, 1852) was an American politician who served as the

Director of the Monmouth County, New Jersey Board of Chosen Freeholders Monmouth County, New Jersey, is governed by a Board of County Commissioners, who choose a director from among themselves. Prior to January 1, 2021, this position was known as the Board of Chosen Freeholders. Pursuant to legislation passed in 170 ...

, and as Sheriff of Monmouth County, and as a member of the

New Jersey General Assembly The New Jersey General Assembly is the lower house of the New Jersey Legislature. Since the election of 1967 (1968 session), the Assembly has consisted of 80 members. Two members are elected from each of New Jersey's 40 legislative districts f ...

Biography

Elected sheriff in 1817, during the

Era of Good Feelings The Era of Good Feelings marked a period in the political history of the United States that reflected a sense of national purpose and a desire for unity among Americans in the aftermath of the War of 1812. The era saw the collapse of the Fe ...

, as a Democratic Republican, Ely served three, one-year terms, the constitutional

term limit A term limit is a legal restriction on the number of terms a person may serve in a particular elected office. When term limits are found in presidential and semi-presidential systems they act as a method of curbing the potential for monopoly, w ...

at the time. In the March 1822 township elections, he was elected to represent Freehold Township on the

Board of Chosen Freeholders In New Jersey, a Board of County Commissioners (until 2020 named the Board of Chosen Freeholders) is the elected county-wide government board in each of the state's 21 counties. In the five counties that have an elected county executive, the ...

. At the May 8, 1822 annual reorganization, he was chosen as

, and served as Director until May 13, 1835, when he left the board. In October 1822, Ely was elected to a one-year term representing Monmouth County in the

.''Manual of the Legislature of New Jersey, 1911''; Thomas F. Fitzgerald As the

closed, Ely affiliated with the

National Republican Party The National Republican Party, also known as the Anti-Jacksonian Party or simply Republicans, was a political party in the United States which evolved from a conservative-leaning faction of the Democratic-Republican Party that supported John ...

, and returned to the shrievalty in 1825. He served three years. In 1832 and 1833, he was the National Republican Candidate for the Monmouth County seat in the

New Jersey Legislative Council The New Jersey Legislative Council was the upper house of the New Jersey Legislature under the New Jersey Constitution of 1776. It replaced the New Jersey Provincial Council under colonial rule and was replaced by the New Jersey Senate under the ...

, losing both times to Daniel Holmes. In 1829, John J. Ely moved to Holmdel Township, where he died on January 11, 1852. He is buried in the Holmdel Baptist Churchyard. A son, Horatio Ely, would go on to serve as sheriff from 1837 to 1838.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ely, John J. 1852 deaths 1778 births Members of the New Jersey General Assembly County commissioners in New Jersey People from Holmdel Township, New Jersey Politicians from Monmouth County, New Jersey New Jersey Democratic-Republicans New Jersey National Republicans Sheriffs of Monmouth County, New Jersey 19th-century members of the New Jersey Legislature

Biography

See also

References