James Taylor Ellyson
J. Taylor Ellyson | |
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![]() Portrait of Ellyson, 1912 | |
20th Lieutenant Governor of Virginia | |
In office February 1, 1906 – February 1, 1918 | |
Governor | Claude A. Swanson William Hodges Mann Henry C. Stuart |
Preceded by | Joseph E. Willard |
Succeeded by | Benjamin F. Buchanan |
50th Mayor of Richmond, Virginia | |
In office July 1, 1888 – June 30, 1894 | |
Preceded by | William C. Carrington |
Succeeded by | Richard M. Taylor |
Member of the Virginia Senate from the 35th district | |
In office December 2, 1885 – July 1, 1888 Serving with William Lovenstein | |
Preceded by | Henry A. Atkinson Jr. |
Succeeded by | Conway R. Sands |
Personal details | |
Born | James Taylor Ellyson May 20, 1847 Richmond, Virginia, U.S. |
Died | March 18, 1919 Richmond, Virginia, U.S. | (aged 71)
Resting place | Hollywood Cemetery |
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse | Lora Effie Hotchkiss |
Education | University of Virginia (LLB) |
Occupation |
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Signature | ![]() |
Military service | |
Allegiance | ![]() |
Branch/service | Confederate States Army |
Years of service | 1863–1865 |
Battles/wars | American Civil War |
James Taylor Ellyson (May 20, 1847 – March 18, 1919) was a former Confederate soldier, as well as Virginia lawyer and Democratic politician, who served in several positions in his native Richmond, Virginia and statewide.
Early life and education
Born in Richmond, Virginia to journalist and Baptist lay activist Henry K. Ellyson and his wife Elizabeth, James Taylor Ellyson was the second of their four sons, and also had three sisters (of whom only one survived to adulthood). His family owned enslaved persons. His father served briefly in the Virginia House of Delegates when James was growing up, but his main business was as a printer (and he would become half-owner of the Richmond Dispatch in late 1865). Henry Ellyson also served as sheriff of Henrico County beginning in 1857 and through the American Civil War, and published articles supporting slavery before the election of President Abraham Lincoln, which he had opposed.
James Ellyson was educated by tutors and in private schools.
James Ellyson attended
Politics
Ellyson assisted at his father's paper, the
Ellyson also became active in politics, and served for 14 years as chairman of the state's Democratic Central Committee. His first electoral victory was a seat on the Richmond City Council, and eventually he became its president. His father had helped found the
In his long political career, J. Taylor Ellyson served in the Virginia Senate (1885-1888, resigning his position on the city council to assume that part-time state legislative position), and as mayor of Richmond (1888–1894). He also served for twelve years (1906–1918) as the 20th Lieutenant Governor of Virginia. To date, he is the only Lieutenant Governor of the commonwealth to serve for three terms.
The second mayor Ellyson succeeded William C. Carrington, who had served since 1876 and announced his retirement for health reasons. During the previous several years, scandals concerning misappropriation of city funds had rocked Richmond's city council (which was more powerful than the mayor whom it elected), particularly after the death of long-time city collector Aylett R. Woodson (who had served from 1876 until his death in 1887). Although the younger Ellyson held progressive views concerning labor unions, he was a conservative on race and other matters during what would become his three terms as mayor. Many Republicans had been removed from city offices when Richmond helped elect Grover Cleveland president in 1884, and local Democrats took control of city hall. After Ellyson's summertime election nearly four years later, additional black and white Republicans were soon removed from city offices and jobs. In the fall of 1888, Democrats carried the city for President Cleveland (who however, lost the election on a national level.)[8]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a4/James_Taylor_Ellyson.jpg/220px-James_Taylor_Ellyson.jpg)
Ellyson was active in the
His father had served on the Board of Trustees of Richmond College, including as its president from 1886 until his death in 1890. J. Taylor Ellyson was then elected to the institution's Board of Trustees, and served from 1891–1919. Ellyson helped select the institution's longest-serving President, Frederic W. Boatwright, in 1895. He served as the Board's president from 1908 until his own death in 1919.[10] Ellyson also served at least 31 years as executive officer of the education board of the Baptist General Association of Virginia, and also on the state mission board and the orphanage board.[7]
Death
Ellyson left his statewide office in 1918 and died just over a year later. Like his parents, he is buried in Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond.[11]
References
- ^ Tyler, Lyon Gardiner (August 9, 1906). "Men of Mark in Virginia: Ideals of American Life; a Collection of Biographies of the Leading Men in the State". Men of Mark Publishing Company. Retrieved August 9, 2020 – via Google Books.
- ^ A quick ancestry.com search found no comparable enlistment records for either his elder or younger brothers. However, his slightly younger brother Luther Ellyson died in besieged Richmond aged 15 in November 1864.
- ^ L.G.Tyler, Encyclopedia of Virginia Biography (reprint Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co. 1998) vol. III pp. 272-273
- ^ Men of Mark bio
- ^ Michael B. Chesson, Richmond after the War, 1865-1890 (Richmond: Virginia State Library 1981) pp.112-14 also notes the greater bloodshed in New Orleans and Memphis as conservatives also took power
- ^ Virginius Dabney, Richmond: The Story of a City (New York, Doubleday and Company, Inc. 1976) p. 216
- ^ a b c d Tyler reprint bio
- ^ Chasson p. 189, 191
- ^ memorial plaque
- ^ History of the University of Richmond Archived July 1, 2014, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Find a Grave no. 17825714
External links
- James Taylor Ellyson at The Virginia Elections and State Elected Officials Database Project, 1776-2007
- Museum of the Confederacy