William Caryl Ely

Hon. William Caryl Ely


Member of the New York State Assembly from the 1st District of Otsego County
In office January 1, 1883 – December 31, 1885
Preceded by	J. Stanley Browne
Succeeded by	Lowell S. Henry
Personal details
Born	(1856-02-25)February 25, 1856 Middlefield, Otsego County, New York, US
Died	December 14, 1921(1921-12-14) (aged 65) New York City, New York, US
Political party	Democratic
Alma mater	Cornell University
Profession	Politician, Lawyer, Businessman

William Caryl Ely (February 25, 1856 – December 14, 1921) was an American lawyer and politician from New York.

W. Caryl Ely was born on February 25, 1856, in Middlefield, Otsego County, New York, the son of Assemblyman William H. Ely. Ely's grandfathers were New York State Senator Sumner Ely (1787–1857) and New York State Assemblyman Leonard Caryl; many of his lineal ancestors were soldiers in the American Revolution. Ely attended schools in Otsego County, and later entered Cornell University in the Class of 1878. However, he did not graduate and left college in his junior year. Soon afterward he began the study of the law, was admitted to the bar, at Ithaca in 1882, and practiced in East Worcester, New York.

Ely started his political career in 1880 as the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors of Otsego County, where he served in 1880 and 1881. In 1882 and 1883, he was the Supervisor of the Town of Worcester. In 1883, he was elected as a member of the New York State Assembly (Otsego Co., 1st D.) serving in the 106th New York State Legislature, 107th New York State Legislature in 1884, and finally the 108th New York State Legislature in 1885. He was the Chairman of the Committee on the Petitions of Aliens in 1883, and Minority Leader in 1885.

In the 1890s he was Treasurer of the New York State Democratic Committee and served until September 12, 1896, when he resigned because he disagreed with the Free Silver platform adopted by the 1896 Democratic National Convention.