Ephraim Ralph Eckley (December 9, 1811 – March 27, 1908) was an American Civil War veteran and three-term U.S. Representative from Ohio, serving from 1863 to 1869.
Early life
Eckley was born near Mount Pleasant, Jefferson County, Ohio, but moved with his parents to Hayesville, Ohio, in 1816.
He attended the common schools and was graduated from Vermillion Institute, Hayesville, Ohio. He moved to Carrollton, Ohio, in 1833 and taught school.
He studied law under William Johnston and was admitted to the bar in 1836; he commenced practice in Carrollton.
He served as member of the State senate 1843-1846, 1849, and 1850 but was an unsuccessful candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Ohio in 1851. He also served in the State house of representatives 1853-1855 but was an unsuccessful candidate for election in 1853 to the United States Senate.
He served as delegate to the first Republican National Convention at Philadelphia in 1856.
Civil War
During the Civil War, Eckley served in the Union Army as the colonel of the 26th Ohio Infantry, and later of the 80th Ohio Infantry.
Postbellum
Eckley was elected as a Republican to the Thirty-eighth, Thirty-ninth, and Fortieth Congresses (March 4, 1863 – March 3, 1869) but was not a candidate for renomination in 1868.
He resumed the practice of law in Carrollton, Ohio. He died March 27, 1908, in Carrollton, Ohio, and was interred in Grand View Cemetery.
He married Martha L. Brown and had five children, including Harvey J. His son Harvey was an Ohio state senator and judge.