- Alfred Ely
Alfred Ely (February 15, 1815 – May 18, 1892) was a U.S. Representative from
New York .Born in
Lyme, Connecticut , Ely attended the common schools andBacon Academy atColchester, Connecticut . He moved toRochester, New York , in 1835. He studied law and was admitted to the bar 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.While witnessing the
First Battle of Bull Run , Congressman Ely was taken a prisoner by the Confederates and imprisoned inLibby Prison ofRichmond, Virginia ; he was there for nearly six months along with many others. Among those captured wasWilliam H. Upham the future 18th Governor of Wisconsin who was a private in theBelle City Rifles of the2nd Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Regiment .In December 1861, Ely was exchanged for
Charles James Faulkner , by the latter's own negotiations. At 5:00 AM on Christmas Day Ely was set free fromLibby Prison . 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 inRochester, New York , May 18, 1892.He was interred in the Ely vault in Mount Hope Cemetery.References
*CongBio|E000164 Retrieved on 2008-02-14
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