George A. Wells (October 7, 1910–October 18, 1979) was an American politician who served 13 terms on the

Worcester, Massachusetts Worcester ( , ) is a city and county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, the city's population was 206,518 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the second-List of cities i ...

, city council and was a member of the

Massachusetts Governor's Council The Massachusetts Governor's Council (also known as the Executive Council) is a governmental body that provides advice and consent in certain matterssuch as judicial nominations, pardons, and commutationsto the Governor of Massachusetts. Council ...

Early life

Wells was born on October 7, 1910, in Worcester. He attended public grammar school in Worcester and graduated from St. Stephen's High School. He served three years in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. After the war, Wells published ''Worcester Yank'', a weekly magazine for veterans and ran a public relations firm.

Political career

In 1947, Wells was elected to the Worcester Board of Aldermen. During his first term he accused the city librarian of being a communist, which led to backlash for Wells. In 1949, the city switched to a new form of government and Wells was elected to the first of his thirteen terms as a city councilor. In 1950, Wells became the first Democrat elected to represent the 7th District on the Massachusetts Governor's Council. He was defeated for reelection in 1952 by Gabriel G. Morze, but regained his seat in 1954. In 1955 opposed state treasurer

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination i ...

's nomination of his brother, James A. Kennedy, as his third deputy. James Kennedy challenged Wells to an “intelligence test” and the former labor defeated Wells by achieving a score of 99 out of 99 to Wells' 98 out of 99. In 1956, Wells was a candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts. He finished third in the Democratic primary behind Robert F. Murphy and James A. Burke. In 1957, Wells was appointed deputy state commissioner of commerce. In this role, he was responsible for promoting tourism in Massachusetts. Wells was a delegate to the

1960 Democratic National Convention The 1960 Democratic National Convention was held in Los Angeles, California, on July 11–15, 1960. It nominated Senator John F. Kennedy of Massachusetts for president and Senate Majority Leader Lyndon B. Johnson of Texas for vice president. In ...

, which nominated Massachusetts'

as president. The convention band was unable to find a song that identified Kennedy with his home state and on his way home, Wells wrote '' The Great State of Massachusetts''. J. Earl Bley, a musician friend of Wells, wrote the music. On November 24, 1997, ''The Great State of Massachusetts'' was designated the state glee club song of Massachusetts by the

Massachusetts General Court The Massachusetts General Court (formally styled the General Court of Massachusetts) is the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The name "General Court" is a hold-over from the earliest days of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, ...

. In 1966 and 1970, Wells was chosen by his fellow city councilors to serve as Mayor of Worcester, a largely ceremonial position under the city charter. Wells remained active in politics after retiring from the council. In 1979 he and city councilor

Jordan Levy Jordan Levy (November 4, 1943) is an American Independent politician and talk radio host from Worcester, Massachusetts. He served as the Mayor of Worcester on two occasions, first from 1981 to 1982 and the second time from 1988–93. He is the host ...

announced plans to form an association that would oppose the fluoridation of the city’s water. Wells died on October 18, 1979.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wells, George A. 1910 births 1979 deaths American anti-communists American magazine publishers (people) American public relations people Massachusetts Democrats Mayors of Worcester, Massachusetts Members of the Massachusetts Governor's Council United States Army personnel of World War II