Dudley Ely

Dudley Pettibone Ely (November 16, 1817 – July 9, 1895) was the first mayor of South Norwalk, Connecticut, beginning in 1870, when the city was first incorporated. He served from 1870 to 1872, was succeeded in office by Walter C. Quintard, and then returned to office from 1876 to 1877.

Early life and family He was born in Simsbury, Connecticut, the youngest child of Benjamin Ely, a graduate of Yale College in 1786. As a youth, he worked in a store in Simsbury, and by the age of eighteen, was a manager of a store in West Hartland, Connecticut. After a year, he went to New York City, to work with his brother as a bookkeeper, subsequently becoming his partner. He succeeded in business, and moved to South Norwalk in 1861.