Moore, Ely

Ely Moore, (born July 4, 1798, near Belvidere, New Jersey, U.S.—died January 27, 1860, Lecompton, Kansas Territory), American journalist and politician who represented the interests of labour in the U.S. Congress.

Although he studied medicine, Moore abandoned his practice after a few years to become a printer and newspaper editor. Elected in 1833 the first president of New York City’s federation of craft unions, he also edited the new group’s official newspaper, the National Trades’ Union.

The following year Moore was elected chairman of a national convention of trades unions. With the backing of that group (called the National Trades’ Union) and of Tammany Hall, Moore in 1834 won a seat in Congress as a Democrat. Reelected in 1836, Moore helped generate Congressional support for the 10-hour workday. When his second term expired, in 1839, he accepted appointment as surveyor of the port of New York. He followed that position with a brief tenure as U.S. marshal for New York’s southern district.

Moore subsequently resumed his publishing career, retiring to his New Jersey birthplace to become editor and publisher of the Warren Journal. But in 1850 he left the East and immigrated to Kansas. There he became the U.S. Indian agent for the Miami and several other tribes. In 1855 he was made registrar of the U.S. land office at Lecompton, Kansas.