Representative Ezra Darby

Ezra Darby (June 7, 1768 – January 27, 1808) was an American politician who was elected for two terms as a U.S. Representative from New Jersey, serving from 1805 to 1808. He was born on June 7, 1768, in Scotch Plains, New Jersey, in what was then a largely rural part of the state. Little is recorded about his early family life or upbringing, but his later public roles suggest that he was closely connected to local affairs and the civic life of his community from a relatively young age.

Details of Darby’s formal education are not well documented in surviving records. Like many men of his generation in New Jersey, he likely received a basic education sufficient to prepare him for business and public responsibilities. His subsequent service in a range of local offices indicates that he was regarded as capable in matters of administration, law, and finance, and that he had earned the confidence of his neighbors in Scotch Plains and the surrounding area.

Before entering national politics, Darby built his career in local and state government. He held offices on the Board of Chosen Freeholders, the county-level governing body in New Jersey responsible for overseeing local infrastructure, finances, and administration. In addition, he served as an assessor and as a justice of the peace from 1800 to 1804, positions that involved evaluating property for taxation and handling minor judicial and administrative matters. From 1802 to 1804, he was a member of the New Jersey General Assembly, where he participated in the legislative work of the state during the early years of the nineteenth century.

Darby’s experience in local and state offices provided the foundation for his election to the United States Congress. As a member of the Republican Party, more commonly known at the time as the Democratic-Republican Party, he was elected as a Democratic-Republican to the Ninth and Tenth Congresses. Representing New Jersey at large, he served in the U.S. House of Representatives from March 4, 1805, until his death on January 27, 1808. His service in Congress occurred during a significant period in American history, as the young republic under President Thomas Jefferson confronted questions of federal power, foreign policy, and economic development. During his two terms in office, Darby contributed to the legislative process, participating in the democratic governance of the nation and representing the interests of his New Jersey constituents.

Darby’s tenure in Congress was cut short when he died in office in Washington, D.C., on January 27, 1808. His death placed him among the early members of the United States Congress who did not complete their terms due to dying while still serving. He was interred in the Congressional Cemetery in Washington, D.C., a burial ground that became the resting place for many early national legislators and federal officials.

Historical records also note that Ezra Darby was a slave owner, a fact that situates him within the broader context of early American political leaders who participated in and benefited from the institution of slavery. This aspect of his life reflects the contradictions of the era, in which the expansion of representative government coexisted with the continued practice of human enslavement.