Ely served from January 9, 1961, to January 10, 1965, in the Iowa House of Representatives, representing the 48th District (Linn County), and as a member of the Iowa State Senate from January 11, 1965, to January 12, 1969, representing the 20th (Polk County) and 24th (Linn County) Districts respectively.[3]
Ely's signature achievements were the successful repeal of Iowa's death penalty in 1965, his co-sponsorship of the Fair Housing Bill of Iowa, and his efforts towards establishing the Iowa Civil Rights Commission and passing the Iowa Civil Rights Act of 1965 and the Open Housing Law of 1967.
Opposition to capital punishment
Ely opposition to capital punishment was reinforced after he voluntarily witnessed the execution of Victor Feguer on March 15, 1963, the most recent execution in Iowa, and the last federal execution in the United States until the execution of Timothy McVeigh on June 11, 2001. Shortly before McVeigh's execution, Ely recounted his memories of Fuguer's execution to The New York Times, recalling that at the moment of the hanging, Feguer appeared to have taken a breath; Ely turned to the journalist next to him and said "Look, George, human life fighting to preserve itself", though he later realized that the movement was actually an involuntary reflex of the corpse.[4]
With the support of Governor Harold Hughes, Ely helped lead efforts to abolish Iowa's death penalty in 1965.[1] In the 1990s, there was an unsuccessful effort in Iowa to re-introduce capital punishment, and Ely advised legislators who were in opposition.[1]
Later years
Ely continued to work for the Quaker Oats Company until he retired in 1984. Among Ely's activities later in life was his work as a "citizen-lobbyist", pressing Congress for micro-enterprise, freeprimary education in developing countries, and the Global Health Fund which sought to combat HIV/AIDS. Ely was also a mentor to countless young people in the Cedar Rapids area, many of whom went on to be community leaders and activists.
Ely died from complications of surgery in St. Luke's Hospital in Cedar Rapids on March 30, 2007, at the age of 88.[1] His cremated remains were inurned in Oak Hill Cemetery.
Later in 2007, John Ely's wife, Polly Ely, accepted the Iowans Against The Death Penalty Gov. Harold E. Hughes Award on his behalf.[5][6] Polly Ely died on May 15, 2008, also aged 88.[7] Ely was remembered in 2009 in a joint memorial service for twenty-five deceased Iowa lawmakers, held at the State Senate.[8]
^"IADP Marks 45th Anniversary". Iowans Against The Death Penalty. Archived from the original on August 3, 2012. Retrieved September 7, 2010. Peggy Ely accepts the IADP Gov. Harold E. Hughes Award for her late husband, former State Rep. and Sen. John Ely.
^"Chronology". Iowans Against The Death Penalty. Archived from the original on December 20, 2010. Retrieved September 7, 2010. 2007 – The second Gov. Harold E. Hughes Award was presented to Gov. Tom Vilsack, University of Iowa law professor David Baldus, Des Moines attorney James Benzoni, and the late Sen. John Ely.
^"The Defender: good people worth remembering". ACLU of Iowa. April–June 2008. Archived from the original on July 24, 2011. Retrieved September 8, 2010. We regret to report that long-time supporter of the ACLU of Iowa, Polly Ely of Cedar Rapids, died on May 15, 2008, at the age of 88. She was preceded in death by her husband and former ACLU-IA board member and solicitor, John M. Ely, Jr.
