Mr. Ellery continued as a member of congress until the year 1785, then retired to Rhode Island. The people of Rhode Island elected Ellery to the office of chief justice of their superior court.<ref>[http://www.laughtergenealogy.com/bin/histprof/founders/ellery.html William Ellery, laughtergenealogy.com]</ref> When [[Rufus King]] was elected to congress in 1785, Ellery joined King in his vocal advocacy for the abolition of slavery.
After leaving Congress, Ellery was appointed by [[George Washington]] <ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=WWl2CQAAQBAJ&pg=PT186 Rhode Island's Founders: From Settlement to Statehood]</ref> to be the first customs Collector of the port of Newport, a position he held until his death.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=Bl4W-TKv2Q8C&pg=PA11 Memoir of William Ellery Channing: With Extracts from His Correspondence and Manuscripts, Volume 1]</ref>
==Family and legacy==