Asa Wells (August 6, 1774 - February 1859) was a pioneer
farmer and
surveyor
Surveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, art, and science of determining the terrestrial two-dimensional or three-dimensional positions of points and the distances and angles between them. A land surveying professional is ca ...
from
Pompey,
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
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who served two terms in the
New York State Assembly
The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits.
The Assem ...
.
Background
Wells was born August 6, 1774, in
Colchester, Connecticut. He settled in Pompey in the spring of 1803, built a log house at Pompey Hill, and in 1807 relocated to a more distant farm. Wells was a practical surveyor and assisted Judge Geddes in the survey for the
Oswego Canal. He married the former Chloe Hyde, who lived until 1872. He was prominent in the
militia, in which he was captain at the time
Sackett's Harbor, New York, was threatened by the British, and led his company to that point. On May 3, 1834, Wells was one of the founders of the first
Disciples of Christ
The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination in the United States and Canada. The denomination started with the Restoration Movement during the Second Great Awakening, first existing during the 19th ...
church in Pompey, and became one of its first
elders.
Public office
He held various town offices and served in the
40th New York State Legislature
The 40th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from November 5, 1816, to April 15, 1817, during the tenth year of Daniel D. Tompkins's governorship, and while John Tayler was Act ...
and
41st New York State Legislature
The 41st New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 27 to April 21, 1818, during the first year of DeWitt Clinton's governorship, in Albany.
Background
Under the pro ...
(1816-18) as a member of the
New York State Assembly
The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits.
The Assem ...
representing
Onondaga County. In the 1816 election he was one of four victorious
Democratic-Republican candidates, with 2,031 votes to 1,507 for the highest
Federalist
The term ''federalist'' describes several political beliefs around the world. It may also refer to the concept of parties, whose members or supporters called themselves ''Federalists''.
History Europe federation
In Europe, proponents of de ...
candidate, Nicholas P. Randall. In the 1817 race, he was once again the least successful of the four "Old Line" Democratic-Republican winners, coming out ahead of former Assemblyman
Jonathan Stanley, Jr. running as a
"Clintonian" or "New Line" candidate, with 1,380 vote to Stanley's 724.
He was a candidate in the
for the
23rd Congressional District. Wells was now identified with the Clintonian faction of the state's Democratic-Republican Party, losing with 1,387 votes to 2,042 for
Elisha Litchfield, identified with the
Bucktails or Anti-Clintonian faction.
"New York 1822 U.S. House of Representatives, District 23" ''A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787-1825''
/ref>
He died in February, 1859.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wells, Asa
New York (state) Democratic-Republicans
Surveyors
Members of the New York General Assembly
People from Pompey, New York
People from Colchester, Connecticut
1774 births
1859 deaths
Date of death missing