Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 03.djvu/461

 ELY

ELZY

the camp. A year later he was the commandant of Fort Trumbull, with the rank of colonel, from his own resources supplying many of the men with arms and uniforms. On Dec. 9, 1777, he was captured by the British and was for some months a prisoner of war. When he was paroled at Flat- bush, Long Island, N.Y., where several hundred American officers were prisoners, he refused to accept his parole and instead devoted himself to the care of those officers among whom a distress- ing sickness prevailed, his liberal purse still providing medicine for the sick. His son, Capt. Worthingtou Ely, with several friends, fitted out an expedition to capture a British force, so that an exchange of Colonel Ely could be eff'ected. The expedition was successful, but Colonel Ely still refused to leave the sick, having been urged to remain not only by the officers in the prison, but by such officers as had been exchanged. This service in the enemy's camp lasted more than three years. On returning to his family, early in 1781, Colonel Ely found himself broken in health and constitution, his lands iirn to waste and his prop- erty dissipated. He applied to congress for pay for his extraordinary services, but although the claun was favorably reported by Gen. Henry Knox, the secretary of war, and General Wash- ington himself vouched for it, yet it was rejected in the senate, through the opposition of Senator Oliver Ellsworth. The failure of the government to recognize his services hastened his death. In 1833 congress allowed to Colonel Ely's descend ants a small portion of the original claim. He died at Lyme, Conn., in October, 1800.

ELY, Richard Theodore, political economist, was born at Ripley, Chautauqua count j^, N. Y., April 13, 1854; son of Ezra Sterling and Harriet (Mason) Ely ; grandson of Rev. Judah and Irene (Stetson) Ely ; and a descendant of Richard Ely of Lyme, Conn. ; also of the Rev. Thomas Hooker of Hartford, Conn. ; Elder William Brew- ster; ' ' the Pilgrim ' ' of Plymouth, Mass., and the Rev. John Wilson, first minister of the First church of Boston, Mass. He attended the state normal school at Fre- donia, N. Y., spent one year at Dartmouth, and was graduated from Columbia in 1876. As a fellow of letters of Columbia college he continued his studies at the German universities, and at the University of Geneva, Switzerland, receiving

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the degree of Ph.D. from Heidelberg in 1879. He also studied at the Royal statistical bureau in Berlin, and returned to the United States in 1880. In 1881 he was appointed lecturer on political economy at Johns Hopkins university, and was subsequently advanced to the professorship, hold- ing the chair until 1892. He was one of the founders of the American economic association, and its secretary, 1885-93; a member of the Balti- more tax commission, 1885-86 ; and a member of the Maryland tax cohimission, 1886-88. In 1892 he became professor of political economy, and director of the school of economics, political science and history, in the University of Wis- consin. Hobart college conferred upon him the degree of LL.D. in 1892. Besides contributing numerous articles on political economy to the leading American magazines, and editing Crow- ell's Library of Economics and Politics, he pub- lished: French and Cierman Socialism in Modern Times (1883) ; Past and Present of Political Economy (1884); The Labor 3Iovement in America (1886); Taxation in American States and Cities (1888) ; Problems of Today (1888) ; Social Asjjects of Chris- tianity (1889) ; An Introduction to Political Economy (1891) ; Outlines of Economics (1893) ; Socialisvi and Social Reform (1894); Monopolies and Trusts (1899). Several of Ids books were translated into Japanese, and in 1898 An Introduction to Political Economy was translated into Dutch under tlie auspices of Professor M. W. Treub of the Univer- sity of Amsterdam, Holland.

ELY, Smith, representative, was born at Hanover, N.J., April 17, 1825; son of Epaphras C. and Julia (Kitchell) Ely; and grandson of Moses Ely and of Judge Aaron Kitchell, both of whom served in the Revolutionary war. He was graduated from the law department of the University of the city of New York in 1859 and practised law in New York city. He was a state senator, 1857-58 ; a county supervisor, 1861-69 ; a Democratic representative in the 42d and 43d congresses, 1871-75; mayor of New York city, 1876-79; presidential elector in 1880; and sub- sequently declined a congressional nomination. He was also for several years commissioner of public instruction, and was commissioner of parks in New York city, 1897-98,

ELZY, Arnold, soldier, was born at Ehnwood, Md., Dec. 18, 1816; son of Arnold Elzy and Annie Wilson (Jackson) Jones; and a descendant of John Elzy who received a commission from Governor Calvert in 1661 to form a settlement on the eastern shore of Marj-land. He was gradu- ated from the U.S. military academy in 1837 and served in the Florida war, 1837-88, and on the northern frontier during the Canadian disturb- ances, 1838-39. He was promoted 1st lieutenant, Nov. 12, 1839; was in garrison in various posts in