Alfred Ely (February 15, 1815 â May 18, 1892) was a U.S. Representative from New York. He was elected as a Republican to the Thirty-sixth and Thirty-seventh Congresses (March 4, 1859 â March 3, 1863), serving New York’s 29th congressional district. Ely was captured by Confederate forces while spectating the First Battle of Bull Run. Congressman Ely was taken a prisoner by the Confederates and imprisoned in Libby Prison of Richmond, Virginia; he was there for nearly six months along with many others. In December 1861, Ely was exchanged for Charles J. Faulkner, by the latter’s own negotiations. At 5:00 AM on Christmas Day Ely was set free from Libby 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 in Rochester, New York, May 18, 1892. He was interred in the Ely vault in Mount Hope Cemetery.
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