Herbert Edward Wells (9 October 1872 – 9 November 1960) was an Australian politician who was a member of the
Legislative Assembly of
Western Australia
Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...
from 1930 to 1933, representing the
seat of Canning. He was a
perennial candidate, standing for parliament unsuccessfully on another six occasions.
Early life
Wells was born in
Ballarat, Victoria
Ballarat ( ) is a city in the Central Highlands of Victoria, Australia. At the 2021 Census, Ballarat had a population of 116,201, making it the third largest city in Victoria. Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018.
Within months of Vic ...
, to Mary (née Murray) and James Wells. He arrived in Western Australia in 1895 and subsequently lived for periods in
Fremantle
Fremantle () () is a port city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River in the metropolitan area of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth. The Western Australian vernacular diminutive for ...
,
Coolgardie, and
Leonora. He moved to
Collie in 1899, where he worked as a bootmaker and later as an auctioneer. Wells was soon elected to both of the local government bodies in the area – to the
Collie Road Board in 1900 and to the
Collie Municipal Council in 1901. He chaired the road board for a period, and was mayor of Collie from 1908 to 1909 and again from 1911 to 1913. Wells enlisted in the
Australian Imperial Force in 1916 and served as an officer in the
44th and
63rd Battalions during the war. He moved to
Perth
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...
after being discharged.
[Herbert Edward Wells](_blank)
Biographical Register of Members of the Parliament of Western Australia. Retrieved 4 January 2017.
Politics and later life
Wells first stood for parliament at the
1914 state election, running for the
Liberal Party in the
seat of Collie. He lost to
Labor's
Arthur Wilson by a large margin. At the
1927 state election, Wells ran for the
Nationalists in the
seat of Canning, losing to
Alec Clydesdale. He reprised his candidacy
in 1930, beating Clydesdale by just 92 votes, but Labor reclaimed the seat
in 1933.
At the
1936 election, Wells made an unsuccessful attempt to reclaim Canning. He ran for the
seat of East Perth at the
1939 election, claiming only 7.8 percent of the vote as an "independent Nationalist". His seventh and final run for parliament came at a 1941
Legislative Council by-election for
Metropolitan Province, where he lost to
James Hislop.
Wells died in Perth in November 1960, aged 88. He had married Philippa Bayley in 1900, with whom he had four children.
See also
*
Members of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wells, Herbert
1872 births
1960 deaths
Australian Army officers
Australian military personnel of World War I
Mayors of places in Western Australia
Members of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly
Nationalist Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Western Australia
People from Ballarat
Western Australian local councillors