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Horatio Wells

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The Honorable
Horatio Wells
County Judge of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin
In office
January 7, 1850 – January 2, 1854
Preceded byPosition established
Succeeded byCharles E. Jenkins
2nd Mayor of Milwaukee
In office
April 1847 – April 1848
Preceded bySolomon Juneau
Succeeded byByron Kilbourn
President of the Council of the Wisconsin Territory
In office
January 4, 1847 – May 29, 1848
Preceded byNelson Dewey
Succeeded byPosition abolished
2nd Attorney General of the Wisconsin Territory
In office
December 1839 – December 1841
GovernorHenry Dodge
Preceded byHenry S. Baird
Succeeded byMortimer M. Jackson
Member of the Council of the Wisconsin Territory from Milwaukee County
In office
January 4, 1847 – May 29, 1848
Preceded byJames Kneeland, Jacob H. Kimball, and Curtis Reed (Milwaukee & Washington)
Succeeded byPosition abolished
Personal details
Born(1808-11-04)November 4, 1808
Hinesburg, Vermont, U.S.
DiedAugust 8, 1858(1858-08-08) (aged 49)
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S.
Resting placeForest Home Cemetery, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse
Augusta Vail
(m. 1842⁠–⁠1858)

Horatio Nelson Wells (November 4, 1808 – August 8, 1858) was an American lawyer, Democratic politician, and Wisconsin pioneer. He was the 2nd mayor of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and the 2nd attorney general of the Wisconsin Territory. He also served as the last president of the Council (upper legislative house) of the Wisconsin Territory (during the 5th Wisconsin Territorial Assembly).

Biography

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Wells was born in Hinesburg, Vermont, and studied law in Burlington, Vermont.[1] After practicing law in the East for several years, he moved to the Wisconsin Territory in 1836. In Milwaukee, he entered a legal partnership with Hans Crocker called Wells & Crocker.[1][2]

As a lawyer, Wells was prolific in the first ten years of his career. According to Berryman's History of the Bench and Bar of Wisconsin, his success as an advocate was mostly due to his wit, his intuitive knowledge of human nature, and a vast array of useful anecdotes.[2]

Wells was served as a member of the lower house of the Legislative Assembly of the Wisconsin Territory from 1839 to 1840, as Attorney General for the Territory of Wisconsin from 1839 to 1841.[3]

After a short break from elected office, Wells served as a member of the upper house of the Legislative Assembly from 1847 to 1848, where he was also selected as president of the council. Wells also served a short stint as mayor of Milwaukee from 1847 to 1848.

In the 2nd Wisconsin Legislature new county-level courts were established, and, in the first election for Milwaukee County judge, Wells was elected to a four-year term, serving from 1850 to 1854.[1][2]

Wells also ran the Milwaukee Sentinel for a short time in 1841.[1]

Personal life

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Wells was known to be an alcoholic and his alcoholism factored significantly in accounts of his decline and death.[2][4][5]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Wells, Horatio Nelson 1808 - 1858". Wisconsin Historical Society. 8 August 2017. Retrieved August 31, 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d Berryman, John R. (1898). History of the Bench and Bar of Wisconsin. Vol. 2. Chicago: H. C. Cooper, Jr. pp. 44–45. Retrieved August 31, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ Heg, J. E., ed. (1882). "Annals of the Legislature" (PDF). The Blue Book of the State of Wisconsin (Report). State of Wisconsin. pp. 172–174. Retrieved August 30, 2021.
  4. ^ "Decease of Judge H. N. Wells". Wisconsin State Journal. August 21, 1858. p. 3. Retrieved August 31, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Hon. Horatio N. Wells". The Burlington Sentinel. September 3, 1858. p. 2. Retrieved August 31, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
Political offices
Preceded by Mayor of Milwaukee
April 1847 – April 1848
Succeeded by
Legal offices
Preceded by Attorney General of the Wisconsin Territory
December 1839 – December 1841
Succeeded by
New office County Judge of the Milwaukee County, Wisconsin
January 7, 1850 – January 2, 1854
Succeeded by