William Harvey Johnson Ely (September 8, 1891 – March 2, 1942) was an American

jurist A jurist is a person with expert knowledge of law; someone who analyses and comments on law. This person is usually a specialist legal scholar, mostly (but not always) with a formal qualification in law and often a legal practitioner. In the Uni ...

and

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

politician from New Jersey who served as a

State Senator A state senator is a member of a state's senate in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a member of the unicameral Nebraska Legislature. Description A state senator is a member of an upper house in the bicameral legislatures of 49 U ...

and the state administrator for the Works Progress Administration. He was the Democratic candidate for the United States Senate in 1938.

Early life and family

Ely was born in Rutherford, New Jersey, the son of Captain Addison Ely and Emily Johnson. His father was a leading lawyer and Democratic politician in Rutherford who had moved from Westfield, Massachusetts, where the family had long-standing ties. Ely was the second cousin of Massachusetts Governor

Joseph B. Ely Joseph Buell Ely (February 22, 1881 – June 13, 1956) was an American lawyer and Democratic politician from Massachusetts. As a conservative Democrat, Ely was active in party politics from the late 1910s, helping to build, in conjunction with ...

, since they shared a great-grandfather, Rev. Elihu Ely (1777-1839), son of Captain Levi Ely (1732-1780). He attended the University of Michigan and New York University Law School, receiving his LL.B. degree in 1913. He served as a lieutenant in the National Guard on the Mexican border in 1916 and was with the United States Army

Motor Transport Corps The Motor Transport Corps (M.T.C.) was formed out of the United States Army Quartermaster Corps on 15 August 1918, by General Order No. 75. Men needed to staff this new corps were recruited from the skilled tradesmen working for automotive man ...

during World War I. He married Mary E. Rogers of

Paterson, New Jersey Paterson ( ) is the largest City (New Jersey), city in and the county seat of Passaic County, New Jersey, Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey."William H. J. Ely, Jersey Ex-Leader"
'' The New York Times'', March 3, 1942.

Career

In 1924 Ely was named a district judge in the Second Judicial District of

Bergen County Bergen County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of New Jersey.New Jersey Senate The New Jersey Senate was established as the upper house of the New Jersey Legislature by the Constitution of 1844, replacing the Legislative Council. There are 40 legislative districts, representing districts with an average population of 232, ...

in 1931, defeating

Harry Harper Harry Clayton Harper (April 24, 1895 – April 23, 1963) was an American professional baseball pitcher, businessman, and politician. He played in Major League Baseball for the Washington Senators, Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, and Brookly ...

, becoming the first Democrat from Bergen County to serve in the Senate in sixteen years. He was defeated for reelection in 1934. In 1935 he was appointed the State

WPA WPA may refer to: Computing *Wi-Fi Protected Access, a wireless encryption standard *Windows Product Activation, in Microsoft software licensing *Wireless Public Alerting (Alert Ready), emergency alerts over LTE in Canada * Windows Performance Ana ...

Administrator. He resigned two years later to run for the open seat in the United States Senate created by the resignation of

A. Harry Moore Arthur Harry Moore (July 3, 1877 – November 18, 1952) was an American Democratic politician and attorney who was the 39th governor of New Jersey, serving three nonconsecutive three-year terms between 1926 and 1941. As of , Moore remains t ...

. In the 1938 election he faced Republican

William Warren Barbour William Warren Barbour (July 31, 1888November 22, 1943) was an American Republican Party politician who represented New Jersey in the United States Senate from 1931 to 1937 and again from 1938 until his death in office in 1943. He was also a bus ...

, who had served in the Senate from 1931 to 1937. Ely campaigned as a "100 per cent" supporter of the Roosevelt administration. He was seen as in the pocket of notorious political boss Frank Hague of

Jersey City Jersey City is the second-most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, after Newark.

Death

Ely died at the age of 50 in 1942 at his home in Rutherford after suffering a stroke.

References

External links

William Harvey Johnson Ely
at The Political Graveyard {{DEFAULTSORT:Ely, William H. J. 1891 births 1942 deaths United States Army soldiers Military personnel from New Jersey United States Army personnel of World War I New Jersey city council members Democratic Party New Jersey state senators New York University School of Law alumni People from Rutherford, New Jersey University of Michigan Law School alumni 20th-century American legislators