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Do you know….SHSI Member John Ely?
We love to hear from our members. One letter recently came across the desk of
Membership Coordinator Sarah McKiness that she had to share.
“When I was serving in the legislature way back in the 1960s, ‘Steamboat Bill’ Petersen kept after me to take out a life membership in the State Historical Society, stressing that it was a superb bargain. Well, I did. In retrospect, it’s been too much of a bargain, so much so that at age 86, my conscience troubles me—hence, the enclosed check. Do continue offering life memberships but hike the price to counteract bargain hunters like me. Iowa’s history is too precious to warrant cut rates for membership. Long live Iowa.”
With appreciation,
John M. Ely, Jr.
Ely, a 1941 graduate of Princeton University in Princeton, N.J., has strong ties to the Cedar Rapids community. His father, grandfather and great-grandfather lived there and were active members, helping build the downtown area.
Upon graduating from college, Ely was immediately drafted to serve in World War II, where he spent his time on a merchant ship. When the war was over, he returned to Cedar Rapids and began working for Quaker Oats. But with a degree in international affairs, it wasn’t long before Ely became interested in politics, something he called “the highest calling you could do.”
Ely served two terms in both the Iowa House and the Iowa Senate between 1961 and 1969. During his tenure, he fought to abolish the death penalty and even witnessed the last execution by hanging to ever occur in Iowa—that of Victor Feguer in 1963.
“It was done on the Ides of March,” Ely said. “I was able to witness it because of a technicality in the law which said that any legislator can be admitted to a prison facility at any time. I used that ‘loophole’ to get in. I wanted to see it firsthand to know what I was going to be fighting against.”
Ely also sponsored the Iowa Civil Rights Act of 1965, and the Open Housing Law in 1967. He considers these three initiatives his greatest achievements as a legislator.
At 86, Ely still lives in Cedar Rapids with his wife, Polly. The couple has three children, five grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren scattered around the country. His interest in Iowa history was instilled in him at an early age.
“You’ve got to know about your state, its history and its background
so you can learn how it came to be what it is now,” Ely said.
