Rolla Wells (June 1, 1856November 30, 1944), also called "Rollo", was an American politician. He served two terms as Mayor of

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...

, was named an officer of the

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in the 1912

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campaign, and served as Governor of the St. Louis branch of the

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Biography

Born in

on June 1, 1856 in St. Louis Missouri to Erastus Wells and Isabella Bowman Henry Wells. His father Erastus was a representative from Missouri. He studied at

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and

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Universities, and later in life received honorary degrees of MA from both institutions. His name first appears in print in the on October 9, 1892 edition of ''

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'', where he is described as the "President of the Fair Association" for St. Louis. In the March 18, 1893 edition, he is quoted as the "President of the Jockey Club" of St. Louis; and the July 16, 1896 edition includes the statement "Rolla Wells, President of the Jefferson Club, resigned last night, announcing that he could not support the Chicago platform" (the "Chicago platform" referring to

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). On April 1, 1901, the ''New York Times'' reported that "One of the hardest fought municipal campaigns in the history of St Louis closed to-night" and that the candidates were "Rolla Wells, Democratic; George W. Parker, Republican; Chauncey I. Filley, Good Government; Lee Meriwether, Public Ownership; Leon Greenbaum, Social-Democrat, and Lewis C. Fry, Socialist-Labor." Wells was Mayor of St. Louis for eight years, during which time the

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and the

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were held there. Some of his major accomplishment included overseeing the construction of a new city hall in 1903, the paving of many city streets, and—in 1904—making the city's drinking water run clear for the first time.Shepley, Carol Ferring. ''Movers and Shakers, Scalawags and Suffragettes: Tales from Bellefontaine Cemetery.'' Missouri History Museum: St. Louis, 2008. In 1912, Governor

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, Democratic candidate for

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, named Wells treasurer of the

. Around 1914 to 1916, Wells was named Governor of the

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. He held the position until 1919, when he was named Receiver for the United Railways of St. Louis.''New York Times'', November 19, 1923, page 15. Rolla Wells 1901

He died on November 30, 1944 and was buried at Bellefontaine Cemetery.

Family life

His first wife, Jennie Howard Parker, died in 1917. He later wed Mrs. Carlotta Clark Church, widow of Alonzo Church, on November 18, 1923 in St. Louis.

References

Publications

* ''Episodes of My Life'' (1933)

External links

Rolla Wells
at the St. Louis Public Library: St. Louis Mayors website.
Rolla Wells, Mayor of St. Louis
The World Today Magazine 1906 {{DEFAULTSORT:Wells, Rolla 1856 births 1944 deaths Mayors of St. Louis Washington University in St. Louis alumni Democratic National Committee treasurers

Biography

Family life

References

Publications

Further reading

External links