View source for William T. Ellis

{{Short description|American politician}}
{{Infobox officeholder
|honorific-prefix =
|name        = William Thomas Ellis
|honorific-suffix =
|image       = William-T-Ellis-by-Aurelius-O-Revenaugh.jpg
|caption     = Portrait of Ellis by Aurelius O. Revenaugh
|alt         = A man with receding brown hair and a mustache wearing a white shirt and black coat and tie. He rests his chin on his right hand and holds a book with his left.
|state       = [[Kentucky]]
|district    = [[Kentucky's 2nd congressional district|2nd]]
|term_start  = March 4, 1889
|term_end    = March 3, 1895
|predecessor = [[Polk Laffoon]]
|successor   = [[John Daniel Clardy]]
|birth_date         = {{birth date|1845|07|24}}
|birth_place        = [[Daviess County, Kentucky]]
|death_date         = {{death date and age|1925|01|08|1845|07|24}}
|death_place        = [[Owensboro, Kentucky]]
|restingplace       = Elmwood Cemetery
|restingplacecoordinates =
|birthname          =
|nationality        =
|party              = [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrat]]
|otherparty         =  <!--For additional political affiliations-->
|spouse             = Alice Coffey<br />Mattie B. Miller
|relations          =
|children           =
|residence          =
|alma_mater         = [[Harvard Law School]]
|profession         = [[Lawyer]]
|religion           =
|signature          =
|signature_alt      =
|footnotes          =
|nickname           =
|allegiance         = {{flag|Confederate States of America}}
|branch             = {{flagicon|CSA|army}} [[Confederate States Army]]
|serviceyears       = 1861{{spaced ndash}}1865
|rank               =
|unit               = {{Flagicon|Kentucky}} [[1st Kentucky Cavalry]]
|commands           =
|battles            = [[American Civil War]]
|awards             =
}}
'''William Thomas Ellis''' (July 24, 1845 – January 8, 1925) was a [[United States House of Representatives|U.S. Representative]] from [[Kentucky]], [[United States]].
==Early life and family==
William Ellis was born near [[Knottsville, Kentucky]], on July 24, 1845.<ref name=congbio>"Ellis, William Thomas". ''Biographical Directory of the United States Congress''</ref> He was one of two sons born Luther R. and Mary M. (Kellum) Ellis.<ref name=bc199>''Biographical Cyclopedia'', p. 199</ref>
Ellis was educated in the common schools until age sixteen.<ref name=congbio /> On October 5, 1861, he enlisted as a [[Private (rank)|private]] in the [[1st Kentucky Cavalry|First Kentucky Confederate Cavalry]].<ref name=bc197>''Biographical Cyclopedia'', p. 197</ref> This unit became a part of the [[Orphan Brigade]].<ref name=congbio /> Ellis eventually rose to become a [[non-commissioned officer]] in command of scouts.<ref name=bc197 /> He served until the end of the war and mustered out on April 21, 1865.<ref name=congbio />
After the war, Ellis resumed his studies at Pleasant Valley Cemetery in [[Daviess County, Kentucky|Daviess County]].<ref name=congbio /> To defray the cost of his education, he worked during the summer months.<ref name=bc197 /> He studied law, supporting himself by serving as principal of [[Mount Etna Academy]] in [[Ohio County, Kentucky|Ohio County]] in 1867 and 1868.<ref name=congbio /> [[Admission to the bar in the United States|Admitted to the bar]] in 1868, he attended a course of lectures at [[Harvard Law School]] before commencing practice in [[Owensboro, Kentucky|Owensboro]] in 1870.<ref name=bc197 />
On October 20, 1871, Ellis married Alice Coffey.<ref name=bc199 /> Coffey died in 1872, and on November 2, 1876, Ellis married Mattie B. Miller.<ref name=bc199 />
==Political career==
In August 1870, Ellis was elected county attorney for Daviess County.<ref name=bc197 /> He was re-elected to this position in 1874.<ref name=bc197 /> He served as a [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] [[United States Electoral College|presidential elector]] for the ticket of [[Samuel J. Tilden]] and [[Thomas Andrews Hendricks]] in the [[1876 United States presidential election|1876 presidential election]].<ref name=bc197 /> He unsuccessfully sought election to the [[50th United States Congress|Fiftieth]] Congress in 1886.<ref name=congbio />
Ellis was elected to represent Kentucky's [[Kentucky's 2nd congressional district|Second District]] in the [[United States House of Representatives|U.S. House of Representatives]] in 1888.<ref name=bc197 /> He was twice re-elected, serving in the [[51st United States Congress|Fifty-first]], [[52nd United States Congress|Fifty-second]], and [[53rd United States Congress|Fifty-third]] Congresses (March 4, 1889 – March 3, 1895).<ref name=congbio /> 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]].<ref name=bc199 />
During the Fifty-second and Fifty-third Congresses, he chaired the [[United States House of Representatives Committee on the Judiciary|Committee on Revision of the Laws]].<ref name=congbio /> A [[Free Silver]] supporter, he served on the [[United States House Committee on Financial Services|Banking and Currency Committee]] and was critical of [[President of the United States|President]] [[Grover Cleveland]]'s [[sound money]] position.<ref name=bc198>''Biographical Cyclopedia'', p. 198</ref> He did not seek re-election in 1894.<ref name=congbio />
==Later life and death==
After his service in Congress, Ellis returned to his law practice.<ref name=congbio /> He was a delegate to the [[1896 Democratic National Convention]].<ref name=congbio /> He also engaged in literary pursuits.<ref name=congbio />
Ellis died in [[Owensboro, Kentucky]], on January 8, 1925, and was interred in [[Rosehill Elmwood Cemetery]].<ref name=congbio />
==References==
{{Reflist}}
===Bibliography===
*{{cite book |title=Biographical Cyclopedia of the Commonwealth of Kentucky |publisher=J.M. Gresham Company |location=[[Chicago, Illinois]] |year=1896 |url=https://archive.org/stream/cu31924028804122}}
{{CongBio|E000139}}
==External links==
{{commons category-inline|William T. Ellis|William Thomas Ellis}}
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{{US House succession box
| state=Kentucky
| district=2
| before=[[Polk Laffoon]]
| after= [[John D. Clardy]]
| years=March 4, 1889 &ndash; March 3, 1895
}}
{{s-end}}
{{USCongRep-start|congresses= 51st–53rd [[United States Congress]]es |state=[[Kentucky]]}}
{{USCongRep/KY/51}}
{{USCongRep/KY/52}}
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{{USCongRep-end}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ellis, William Thomas}}
[[Category:1845 births]]
[[Category:1925 deaths]]
[[Category:Confederate States Army soldiers]]
[[Category:Harvard Law School alumni]]
[[Category:Kentucky lawyers]]
[[Category:Orphan Brigade]]
[[Category:People from Daviess County, Kentucky]]
[[Category:Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Kentucky]]
[[Category:19th-century American lawyers]]