Alfred Wells (May 27, 1814 – July 18, 1867) was a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

from New York.

Biography

Alfred Wells was born in Dagsboro,

Sussex County, Delaware Sussex County is located in the southern part of the U.S. state of Delaware, on the Delmarva Peninsula. As of the 2020 census, the population was 237,378. The county seat is Georgetown. The first European settlement in the state of Delaware w ...

on May 27, 1814. He pursued

classical studies Classics or classical studies is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, classics traditionally refers to the study of Classical Greek and Roman literature and their related original languages, Ancient Greek and Latin. Classics ...

, and later studied law in the office of

Charles Humphrey Charles Humphrey (February 14, 1792 – April 17, 1850) was an American lawyer and politician from New York. He served as a U.S. Representative and as Speaker of the New York State Assembly. Life He was born in Little Britain, Orange Co ...

and

David Woodcock David Woodcock (August 31, 1785 in Williamstown, Massachusetts, Williamstown, Berkshire County, Massachusetts – September 18, 1835 in Ithaca, New York, Ithaca, Tompkins County, New York) was an American lawyer and politician from New York (st ...

. He was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

in 1837 and commenced practice in

Ithaca, New York Ithaca is a city in the Finger Lakes region of New York, United States. Situated on the southern shore of Cayuga Lake, Ithaca is the seat of Tompkins County and the largest community in the Ithaca metropolitan statistical area. It is named a ...

. Wells became active in politics as an anti-slavery

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

, and was one of the owners of the ''Ithaca Journal and Advertiser'', a Democratic newspaper, from 1839 to 1853. He served as

District Attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or state attorney is the chief prosecutor and/or chief law enforcement officer representing a U.S. state in a l ...

of Tompkins County from 1845 to 1847, and was Judge of the Tompkins County Court from 1847 to 1851. He continued his anti-slavery activism by joining the Anti-Nebraska Party and attending its conventions in Saratoga and

Auburn Auburn may refer to: Places Australia * Auburn, New South Wales * City of Auburn, the local government area *Electoral district of Auburn *Auburn, Queensland, a locality in the Western Downs Region *Auburn, South Australia *Auburn, Tasmania *Aub ...

in 1854. Like most members of the short-lived Anti-Nebraska Party, Wells became a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

before 1860. He was elected to represent the 27th Congressional District in the

36th Congress The 36th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1859 ...

(March 4, 1859 – March 3, 1861). He was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1860. In 1862 Wells was appointed federal revenue assessor for the district which included Ithaca, responsible for the taxes enacted to finance the

Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

effort during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

, and served until his death. Wells died in Ithaca on July 18, 1867. He was interred in the City Cemetery.

Sources

Alfred Wells
a
''Political Graveyard''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wells, Alfred 1814 births 1867 deaths New York (state) Democrats People from Sussex County, Delaware Politicians from Ithaca, New York 19th-century American newspaper publishers (people) American abolitionists New York (state) lawyers New York (state) state court judges County district attorneys in New York (state) People of New York (state) in the American Civil War Burials in New York (state) Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) 19th-century American journalists American male journalists 19th-century American male writers 19th-century American legislators Journalists from New York (state) Activists from New York (state) 19th-century American judges 19th-century American lawyers