John Ely

John Ely may refer to:

John Ely (representative)

John Ely (October 8, 1774 – August 20, 1849) was a U.S. Representative from New York.

Biography

Born in Saybrook, Connecticut, Ely completed preparatory studies. He studied medicine, and practiced in Coxsackie, New York. He served as member of the State assembly in 1806 and 1812. He was one of the organizers of the New York State and Greene County Medical Societies in 1807 and also of the Albany Female Academy.

Ely was elected as a Democrat to the Twenty-sixth Congress (March 4, 1839 – March 3, 1841).

He resumed the practice of medicine. He died in Coxsackie, New York, August 20, 1849. He was interred in Old Coxsackie Cemetery.

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.

John Ely (Iowa politician)

John M. Ely, Jr. (February 17, 1919 – March 30, 2007) was an American Democratic politician, purchasing agent, and civil rights activist who served two terms in the Iowa House of Representatives and Iowa State Senate from 1961 to 1969. Ely was instrumental in abolishing capital punishment in Iowa.

Early years and education

Ely was born to John Montague Ely, Sr. and Laurel Sullivan Ely. He graduated from Franklin High School and was educated at Coe College, the University of Iowa, and Princeton University where he received his degree in 1941. Ely served as a purser in the United States Merchant Marine from 1942 to 1945.

Marriage and family

Ely married Polly (Shirley Ward) Ely on June 20, 1942. They had three children, John Montague Ely III (Connie), Martha Ely Goralka (Joseph), and Nathaniel Ward Ely, five grandchildren and 13 great grand children.

Opposition to capital punishment

Ely was strongly opposed to capital punishment, a position reinforced after he voluntarily witnessed the execution of Victor Feguer on March 15, 1963, the most recent execution in Iowa, and the last federal execution in the United States until the execution of Timothy McVeigh on June 11, 2001. Ely recounted his memories of the execution saying "The rope snapped, and as he hung in the air, suddenly, he took a deep breath. I dug my elbow into the Associated Press man next to me and said, 'Look, George, human life fighting to preserve itself.'"; in fact, the breathing was the involuntary reflex of the corpse.