John Sullivan Wells (October 18, 1803August 1, 1860) was a

United States senator The United States Senate is the Upper house, upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives being the Lower house, lower chamber. Together they compose the national Bica ...

from

New Hampshire New Hampshire is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

. Born in

Durham Durham most commonly refers to: *Durham, England, a cathedral city and the county town of County Durham *County Durham, an English county *Durham County, North Carolina, a county in North Carolina, United States *Durham, North Carolina, a city in No ...

, he attended

Pembroke Academy Pembroke Academy is a public secondary school in Pembroke, New Hampshire. History Pembroke Academy was incorporated on June 25, 1818, as a private school, and on May 25, 1819, the first building was dedicated. The academy opened with 48 students o ...

, studied law, was admitted to the

bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar * Chocolate bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud * Bar (u ...

in 1828 and practiced in

Guildhall, Vermont Guildhall ( ) is a New England town, town in and the shire town (county seat) of Essex County, Vermont, Essex County, Vermont. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 262. According to a large sign in the town center ...

from 1828 to 1835. He moved to

Lancaster, New Hampshire Lancaster is a New England town, town located along the Connecticut River in Coös County, New Hampshire, Coös County, New Hampshire, United States. The town is named after the city of Lancaster, Lancashire, Lancaster in England. As of the 2020 ce ...

in 1836 and continued the practice of law until 1846. He was solicitor of Coos County from 1838 to 1847, and moved to

Exeter, New Hampshire Exeter is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 16,049 at the 2020 census, up from 14,306 at the 2010 census. Exeter was the county seat until 1997, when county offices were moved to neighboring Brentwood. ...

and resumed the practice of law. Wells was a member of the

New Hampshire House of Representatives The New Hampshire House of Representatives is the lower house in the New Hampshire General Court, the bicameral legislature of the state of New Hampshire. The House of Representatives consists of 400 members coming from 204 legislative district ...

from 1839 to 1841, serving as speaker in 1841. He was

New Hampshire Attorney General The Attorney General of New Hampshire is a constitutional officer of the U.S. state of New Hampshire who serves as head of the New Hampshire Department of Justice. , the state's attorney general is John Formella. Qualifications and appointment Un ...

in 1847, and a member and president of the

New Hampshire Senate The New Hampshire Senate has been meeting since 1784. It is the upper house of the New Hampshire General Court, alongside the lower New Hampshire House of Representatives. It consists of 24 members representing Senate districts based on population ...

in 1851–1852. He was appointed to the U.S. Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the death of

Moses Norris, Jr. Moses Norris Jr. (November 8, 1799January 11, 1855) was a United States representative and Senator from New Hampshire. Born in Pittsfield, he attended the public schools and the Pittsfield Academy, and graduated from Dartmouth College in 1828. ...

and served from January 16 to March 3, 1855; he died in Exeter in 1860.

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wells, John S. 1803 births 1860 deaths Democratic Party United States senators from New Hampshire New Hampshire Attorneys General Democratic Party New Hampshire state senators Democratic Party members of the New Hampshire House of Representatives City and town attorneys in the United States New Hampshire lawyers Vermont lawyers People from Exeter, New Hampshire 19th-century American legislators 19th-century American lawyers