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Marion G. Wells

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Marion G. Wells
Wells in 1968
Born
Marion Downey Gretsch

(1926-05-01)May 1, 1926
Brooklyn, New York City, New York, U.S.
DiedOctober 30, 2016(2016-10-30) (aged 90)
Fort Lauderdale, Florida, U.S.
EducationManhattanville College (BA)
Occupations
Title
  • Founder and president,
    Marion G. Wells Foundation
Political partyRepublican
Spouse(s)
John Flemm Jr.
​
​
(m. 1946; div. 1969)​

​
​
(m. 1973; died 2003)​
Children6[a]
Parent(s)Louis Gretsch
Marion Downey
RelativesJohn Flemm (grandson)
Friedrich Gretsch (grandfather)

Marion Gretsch Wells (born Marion Downey Gretsch; May 1, 1926 – October 30, 2016) was an American socialite, conservative activist, and political donor. She founded the Marion G. Wells Foundation and served on multiple charitable boards. She and her husband Preston A. Wells Jr., to whom she was married from 1973 until his death in 2003, were active supporters of the Republican Party, giving millions of dollars to conservative causes and organizations for decades. As a fundraiser, Wells raised over $292 million in contributions.

Early life and education

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Manhattanville College, then in Manhattan, where Wells graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 1948.

Wells was born Marion Downey Gretsch on May 1, 1926, in Brooklyn, New York City, to Louis Gretsch, son of Friedrich Gretsch, and Marion Downey Gretsch.[1][2][3] She was raised in Bayport on Long Island and attended Packer Collegiate Institute; serving as junior class vice president and senior class president.[4][5][6] In 1944, Wells began her university education at Manhattanville College, where she was a classmate of Ethel Skakel and Jean Kennedy. She received a bachelor's degree from Manhattanville in 1948.[4][7]

Career

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In 1992, Wells became co-chair of the Heritage Foundation's Legacy Society, a "group of Heritage supporters who make gifts through their estates so Heritage will be a permanent voice in Washington for conservative principles." She raised over $292 million in gifts and commitments in that position.[8][9][10][11]

In 2003, upon the death of her husband, Wells was elected to the board of trustees of the Heritage Foundation, where she served until her death in 2016.[10][8][9]

In addition to Heritage, she served on the board of directors of the Capital Research Center, Intercollegiate Studies Institute, Cleveland Clinic Florida, and Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park.[12][13][14][15]

In 2015, upon the urging of former U.S. attorney general Edwin Meese, she became the Capital Research Center's first trustee emerita after 21 years on the board.[13]

Wells was a Republican political donor, having contributed to George W. Bush, John McCain, Mike Pence, and over 140 other candidates for federal office.[12][non-primary source needed]

Marion G. Wells Foundation

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Wells was the founder and president of the Marion G. Wells Foundation; an American nonprofit organization established in 2001 and headquartered in Windermere, Florida.[13] The foundation operates as a tax-exempt public charity and supports conservative think tanks and advocacy groups.[16][17] The foundation initially received funding from Marion and her husband, Preston A. Wells Jr. As of the fiscal year 2023; the foundation reported approximately $3.17 million in liquid assets and an annual revenue of $1.5 million.[18][19] Following Wells's death in 2016, her son, John J. Flemm III, was elected president of the foundation.[20][21]

The Foundation has been a significant donor to several conservative organizations, notably the Heritage Foundation[10][17] and the Conservative Partnership Institute.[22][23]

Personal life

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Wells was the granddaughter of Friedrich Gretsch, founder of the Gretsch Company.[24][25][26][3][27] She was a cousin of Gertrude Gretsch; second wife of John Jacob Astor VI.[28][29][30] Wells was the adoptive grandmother of businessman John J. Flemm IV.[31]

In 1946, she married John J. Flemm Jr., a United States Navy veteran wounded in the Pacific during World War II.[2][4] They had five children together and moved to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, before they divorced in 1969.[24][32][33] She married Preston A. Wells Jr., president of The Las Olas Company and owner of the Riverside Hotel, in 1973. They lived together in Fort Lauderdale until his death in 2003.[13][34]

In 1991, Wells and her husband were shipwrecked in The Bahamas after their 54-foot sailboat, the Wells Cargo, struck a rock and sank. They were stranded on a small cay before being rescued by a passing cruise ship.[35][36][37]

Death

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Wells died on October 30, 2016, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, at the age of 90.[13]

Notes

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  1. ^ Including one stepdaughter.

References

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  1. ^ "Our Portrait Gallery". Brooklyn Times-Union. January 16, 1927. Retrieved December 28, 2024.
  2. ^ a b "Marion Downey Gretsch Married To John J. Flemm Jr". Brooklyn Citizen. April 25, 1946. Retrieved December 28, 2024.
  3. ^ a b "Gretsch Dies In Stair Fall". New York Daily News. May 7, 1959. Retrieved December 28, 2024.
  4. ^ a b c "Society: Gretsch-Flemm". Brooklyn Eagle. September 25, 1945. Retrieved December 28, 2024.
  5. ^ "Packer Lists All Student Officers For 1941-42 Year". Brooklyn Eagle. December 7, 1941. Retrieved December 28, 2024.
  6. ^ "Packer Dinner Set For Sports Awards". Brooklyn Eagle. May 30, 1943. Retrieved December 28, 2024.
  7. ^ "Manhattanville College Tower Yearbook". Manhattanville College. 1945. Retrieved December 28, 2024.
  8. ^ a b "2016 Annual Report" (PDF) (Press release). The Heritage Foundation. Archived from the original on July 11, 2024. Retrieved December 28, 2024.
  9. ^ a b "2014 Annual Report" (PDF) (Press release). The Heritage Foundation. Archived from the original on July 17, 2024. Retrieved December 29, 2024.
  10. ^ a b c "2015 Annual Report" (PDF) (Press release). The Heritage Foundation. Retrieved December 28, 2024.[dead link‍]
  11. ^ "Marion G. Wells". Center for Media and Democracy. Retrieved December 28, 2024.
  12. ^ a b "Marion Wells". Public Accountability Initiative. Retrieved December 28, 2024.
  13. ^ a b c d e "Marion Gretsch Wells" (Press release). Capital Research Center. February 2, 2017. Retrieved March 10, 2025.
  14. ^ "Board of Trustees". Capital Research Center. Retrieved December 28, 2024.
  15. ^ "Student Recognized as a Marion G. Wells Honors Fellow" (Press release). Christendom College. July 23, 2008. Retrieved December 28, 2024.
  16. ^ "Marion G Wells Foundation". ProPublica. Retrieved December 28, 2024.
  17. ^ a b "2017 Annual Report" (PDF) (Press release). The Heritage Foundation. Archived from the original on April 1, 2019. Retrieved December 28, 2024.
  18. ^ "MARION G WELLS FOUNDATION". foundationsearch.com. Retrieved December 28, 2024.
  19. ^ "Marion G Wells Foundation". ProPublica. Retrieved December 28, 2024.
  20. ^ "Marion Gretsch Wells" (Press release). Capital Research Center. February 2, 2017. Retrieved December 28, 2024.
  21. ^ "Marion G Wells Foundation". causeiq.com. Retrieved December 28, 2024.
  22. ^ "Conservative Partnership Institute". Center for Media and Democracy. Retrieved December 28, 2024.
  23. ^ "2018 IRS Form 990". Conservative Partnership Institute. Retrieved December 28, 2024.
  24. ^ a b "Society". Brooklyn Eagle. December 19, 1948. Retrieved December 28, 2024.
  25. ^ "Walter Gretsch, 58, Active in Charities". Brooklyn Eagle. May 28, 1940. Retrieved December 28, 2024.
  26. ^ "Gretsch — A Legacy of Family Spanning 141 Years". gretsch.com. Retrieved December 28, 2024.
  27. ^ "Services Tonight For Emily Gretsch". Brooklyn Eagle. January 17, 1938. Retrieved December 28, 2024.
  28. ^ "Society". Brooklyn Eagle. December 19, 1948. Retrieved December 28, 2024.
  29. ^ "J. J. Astor Marries Gertrude Gretsch. Son of the Late Colonel John Jacob Astor IV Weds Alumna of Finch at Her Home". The New York Times. September 19, 1944. Archived from the original on June 30, 2018. Retrieved December 28, 2024.
  30. ^ "Astor Seeking Divorce. John J. Files Suit in Mexico Against Second Wife". The New York Times. July 3, 1954. Retrieved December 28, 2024.
  31. ^ "Trinity Prep Fund Grandparent Donors" (PDF). trinityprep.org. Retrieved March 10, 2025.
  32. ^ "Divorces Granted". Fort Lauderdale Daily News and Evening Sentinel. July 6, 1969. Retrieved December 28, 2024.
  33. ^ "Daughter to Flemms". Brooklyn Eagle. December 8, 1948. Retrieved December 28, 2024.
  34. ^ Hernandez, Jaime (September 4, 2003). "Preston Wells, 80, Led Company That Helped Develop Las Olas". Sun Sentinel. Retrieved December 25, 2024.
  35. ^ McCarty, James (April 4, 1991). "Couple rescued at sea return to Lauderdale". Miami Herald. Retrieved December 28, 2024.
  36. ^ "Businessman, wife rescued at sea". Miami Herald. April 2, 1991. Retrieved December 24, 2024.
  37. ^ "Shipwrecked couple saved by cruise ship". The Bradenton Herald. April 2, 1991. Retrieved December 24, 2024.
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