William Thomas Ellis

William Ellis was born near Knottsville, Kentucky on July 24, 1845.[1] He was one of two sons born Luther R. and Mary M. (Kellum) Ellis.[2]

Ellis was educated in the common schools until age sixteen.[1] On October 5, 1861, he enlisted as a private in the First Kentucky Confederate Cavalry.[3] This unit became a part of the Orphan Brigade.[1] Ellis eventually rose to become a non-commissioned officer in command of scouts.[3] He served until the end of the war and mustered out on April 21, 1865.[1]

After the war, Ellis resumed his studies at Pleasant Valley Cemetery in Daviess County.[1] To defray the cost of his education, he worked during the summer months.[3] He studied law, supporting himself by serving as principal of Mount Etna Academy in Ohio County in 1867 and 1868.[1] Admitted to the bar in 1868, he attended a course of lectures at Harvard Law School before commencing practice in Owensboro in 1870.[3]

On October 20, 1871, Ellis married Alice Coffey.[2] Coffey died in 1872, and on November 2, 1876, Ellis married Mattie B. Miller.[2]

In August 1870, Ellis was elected county attorney for Daviess County.[3] He was re-elected to this position in 1874.[3] He served as a Democratic presidential elector for the ticket of Samuel J. Tilden and Thomas Andrews Hendricks in the 1876 presidential election.[3] He unsuccessfully sought election to the Fiftieth Congress in 1886.[1]

Ellis was elected to represent Kentucky's Second District in the U.S. House of Representatives in 1888.[3] He was twice re-elected, serving in the Fifty-first, Fifty-second, and Fifty-third Congresses (March 4, 1889 – March 3, 1895).[1] While he was away from his law practice on congressional business, the firm's business was handled by his law partners, one of whom was future Congressman William N. Sweeney.[2]

During the Fifty-second and Fifty-third Congresses, he chaired the Committee on Revision of the Laws.[1] A Free Silver supporter, he served on the Banking and Currency Committee and was critical of President Grover Cleveland's sound money position.[4] He did not seek re-election in 1894.[1]

After his service in Congress, Ellis returned to his law practice.[1] He was a delegate to the 1896 Democratic National Convention.[1] He also engaged in literary pursuits.[1]

Ellis died in Owensboro, Kentucky on January 8, 1925 and was interred in Rosehill Elmwood Cemetery.[1]

Media related to William Thomas Ellis at Wikimedia Commons