Henry Gordon Wells
Encyclopedia
Henry Gordon Wells was a lawyer and a Republican
politician
in Massachusetts and New Hampshire.
Wells was born on October 12, 1879 in Bridgeport, Connecticut
to George Henry and Hannah Ada (Taylor) Wells. He attended Haverhill, Massachusetts
public schools. He graduated from Tilton Seminary in New Hampshire in 1898, Wesleyan University
in 1902, and Harvard Law School
in 1905.
with the office of Poor & Fuller (later Poor & Abbott) until he opened his own practice (Wells & Hale) in 1907. In addition to practicing law, he was a trustee of the Haverhill YWCA, member of the City Hospital Aid Association, Vice President of the Haverhill, Massachusetts
Boys Club, and director of the Haverhill, Massachusetts
YMCA
.
on December 10, 1917. Skeels was accused of administering arsenic while acting as Gay's nurse. She was arraigned on December 10, 1918 and plead not guilty. Daniel J. Daley, Esq., appeared as counsel for the defendant. In June, 1919, the defendant was tried by jury before Thayer, J. The result was a verdict of not guilty. The case was in charge of Hon. Henry Converse Atwill
, Attorney-General, and District Attorney Henry G. Wells.
Vincenzo Issarella, indicted in Essex County, May 2, 1918, for the murder of Vito Rocco, in Haverhill, Massachusetts
, February 10, 1918. He was arraigned May 28, 1918 and plead not guilty. William J. MacDonald, Esq., appeared as counsel for the defendant. On February 14, 1919, the defendant retracted his former plea, and plead guilty to manslaughter. This plea was accepted by the Commonwealth, and the defendant was sentenced to State Prison for a term of not more than fifteen nor less than thirteen years. The case was in charge of District Attorney Henry G. Wells.
Peter DiZazzo, indicted in Essex County, May, 1918, for the murder of Tony Volenti in Lawrence, Massachusetts on February 19, 1918. He was arraigned May 29, 1918 and plead not guilty. Hon. W. Scott Peters and Ralph A. A. Comparone Esq., appeared as counsel for the defendant. On May 1, 1919, an entry of nolle prosequi was made against this indictment. The case was in charge of District Attorney Henry G. Wells.
Victor Verier, indicted in Essex County, January, 1919, for the murder of Elizabeth Verier in Lawrence, Massachusetts, December 14, 1918. On October 24, 1919, the defendant was adjudged insane and was committed to Bridgewater
State Hospital until further order of the court. The case was in charge of District Attorney Henry G. Wells.
Common Council. He served as an elected member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives
from 1910 to 1912, serving on committees on insurance as clerk and chairman, election laws, and congressional redistricting. Wells then served on Massachusetts Senate
from 1913 to 1918, becoming "the powerful and respected" President of the Massachusetts Senate
in 1916 succeeding Calvin Coolidge. In 1915, Wells served on the Committee on Public Lighting, Committee on Rules, and Committee on Railroads. During his time in the Senate, he was the only senator to always vote no on a woman's right to vote. He also served for a dozen years or more as a member of the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities serving as commissioner in 1925 and was a past president of the National Association of Railroad and Utility Commissioners.
where he also served in the legislature and was a Delegate to New Hampshire state constitutional convention in 1948. He was ultimately named to the New Hampshire Public Utilities Commission.
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
in Massachusetts and New Hampshire.
Wells was born on October 12, 1879 in Bridgeport, Connecticut
Bridgeport, Connecticut
Bridgeport is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. Located in Fairfield County, the city had an estimated population of 144,229 at the 2010 United States Census and is the core of the Greater Bridgeport area...
to George Henry and Hannah Ada (Taylor) Wells. He attended Haverhill, Massachusetts
Haverhill, Massachusetts
Haverhill is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 60,879 at the 2010 census.Located on the Merrimack River, it began as a farming community that would evolve into an important industrial center, beginning with sawmills and gristmills run by water power. In the...
public schools. He graduated from Tilton Seminary in New Hampshire in 1898, Wesleyan University
Wesleyan University
Wesleyan University is a private liberal arts college founded in 1831 and located in Middletown, Connecticut. According to the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, Wesleyan is the only Baccalaureate College in the nation that emphasizes undergraduate instruction in the arts and...
in 1902, and Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the oldest continually-operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world. The school is routinely ranked by the U.S...
in 1905.
Family life
On April 18, 1906, he married Edith Weeks Burke of Middletown, CT, with whom he had five children: Chester T., Elizabeth W., Archer G., Eleanor E., and Henry G.Private law practice
In 1905 he began his law practice in Haverhill, MassachusettsHaverhill, Massachusetts
Haverhill is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 60,879 at the 2010 census.Located on the Merrimack River, it began as a farming community that would evolve into an important industrial center, beginning with sawmills and gristmills run by water power. In the...
with the office of Poor & Fuller (later Poor & Abbott) until he opened his own practice (Wells & Hale) in 1907. In addition to practicing law, he was a trustee of the Haverhill YWCA, member of the City Hospital Aid Association, Vice President of the Haverhill, Massachusetts
Haverhill, Massachusetts
Haverhill is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 60,879 at the 2010 census.Located on the Merrimack River, it began as a farming community that would evolve into an important industrial center, beginning with sawmills and gristmills run by water power. In the...
Boys Club, and director of the Haverhill, Massachusetts
Haverhill, Massachusetts
Haverhill is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 60,879 at the 2010 census.Located on the Merrimack River, it began as a farming community that would evolve into an important industrial center, beginning with sawmills and gristmills run by water power. In the...
YMCA
YMCA
The Young Men's Christian Association is a worldwide organization of more than 45 million members from 125 national federations affiliated through the World Alliance of YMCAs...
.
Essex County District Attorney
In 1918, Wells was appointed Essex County district attorney succeeding Louis D. Cox. Wells was the Essex County District Attorney during a locally famous case of Elizabeth M. Skeels. Elizabeth M. Skeels, alias, indicted in Essex County, Massachusetts in September 1918 for the murder of Florence W. Gay in Andover, MassachusettsAndover, Massachusetts
Andover is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. It was incorporated in 1646 and as of the 2010 census, the population was 33,201...
on December 10, 1917. Skeels was accused of administering arsenic while acting as Gay's nurse. She was arraigned on December 10, 1918 and plead not guilty. Daniel J. Daley, Esq., appeared as counsel for the defendant. In June, 1919, the defendant was tried by jury before Thayer, J. The result was a verdict of not guilty. The case was in charge of Hon. Henry Converse Atwill
Henry Converse Atwill
Henry Converse Atwill was an American politician who served as Massachusetts Attorney General from 1915 to 1919.Atwill served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 1896 to 1898 and the Massachusetts Senate from 1899 to 1901. From 1905 to 1910 he was an Assistant District Attorney in...
, Attorney-General, and District Attorney Henry G. Wells.
Vincenzo Issarella, indicted in Essex County, May 2, 1918, for the murder of Vito Rocco, in Haverhill, Massachusetts
Haverhill, Massachusetts
Haverhill is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 60,879 at the 2010 census.Located on the Merrimack River, it began as a farming community that would evolve into an important industrial center, beginning with sawmills and gristmills run by water power. In the...
, February 10, 1918. He was arraigned May 28, 1918 and plead not guilty. William J. MacDonald, Esq., appeared as counsel for the defendant. On February 14, 1919, the defendant retracted his former plea, and plead guilty to manslaughter. This plea was accepted by the Commonwealth, and the defendant was sentenced to State Prison for a term of not more than fifteen nor less than thirteen years. The case was in charge of District Attorney Henry G. Wells.
Peter DiZazzo, indicted in Essex County, May, 1918, for the murder of Tony Volenti in Lawrence, Massachusetts on February 19, 1918. He was arraigned May 29, 1918 and plead not guilty. Hon. W. Scott Peters and Ralph A. A. Comparone Esq., appeared as counsel for the defendant. On May 1, 1919, an entry of nolle prosequi was made against this indictment. The case was in charge of District Attorney Henry G. Wells.
Victor Verier, indicted in Essex County, January, 1919, for the murder of Elizabeth Verier in Lawrence, Massachusetts, December 14, 1918. On October 24, 1919, the defendant was adjudged insane and was committed to Bridgewater
Bridgewater, Massachusetts
For geographic and demographic information on the census-designated place Bridgewater, please see the article Bridgewater , Massachusetts.The Town of Bridgewater is a city in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States, 28 miles south of Boston. At the 2000 Census, the population was 25,185...
State Hospital until further order of the court. The case was in charge of District Attorney Henry G. Wells.
Government appointments and elected positions
In 1907 Wells became a member of the Haverhill, MassachusettsHaverhill, Massachusetts
Haverhill is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 60,879 at the 2010 census.Located on the Merrimack River, it began as a farming community that would evolve into an important industrial center, beginning with sawmills and gristmills run by water power. In the...
Common Council. He served as an elected member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives
Massachusetts House of Representatives
The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from single-member electoral districts across the Commonwealth. Representatives serve two-year terms...
from 1910 to 1912, serving on committees on insurance as clerk and chairman, election laws, and congressional redistricting. Wells then served on Massachusetts Senate
Massachusetts Senate
The Massachusetts Senate is the upper house of the Massachusetts General Court, the bicameral state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Senate comprises 40 elected members from 40 single-member senatorial districts in the state...
from 1913 to 1918, becoming "the powerful and respected" President of the Massachusetts Senate
President of the Massachusetts Senate
The President of the Massachusetts Senate is the presiding officer. In the United States Congress, the Vice President of the United States is the ex officio President of the United States Senate. In Massachusetts, however, the President of the Senate is elected from and by the Senators...
in 1916 succeeding Calvin Coolidge. In 1915, Wells served on the Committee on Public Lighting, Committee on Rules, and Committee on Railroads. During his time in the Senate, he was the only senator to always vote no on a woman's right to vote. He also served for a dozen years or more as a member of the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities serving as commissioner in 1925 and was a past president of the National Association of Railroad and Utility Commissioners.
Career in New Hampshire
He later moved to Newton, New HampshireNewton, New Hampshire
Newton is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 4,603 at the 2010 census.- History :The sixth town to be granted from the Masonian land purchase of 1746, Newton was originally part of Salisbury, Massachusetts; later, part of Amesbury, Massachusetts; then...
where he also served in the legislature and was a Delegate to New Hampshire state constitutional convention in 1948. He was ultimately named to the New Hampshire Public Utilities Commission.
External links
- Who's who in New England by Albert Nelson Marquis, 1915.
- Harvard Alumni Directory, Harvard Alumni Association, 1919.
- A Souvenir of Massachusetts legislators, Arthur Milnor Bridgman, 1915.
- http://www.archive.org/details/souvenirofmassac1916brid
- http://www.archive.org/details/souvenirofmassac1917brid
- http://www.archive.org/details/souvenirofmassac1910brid
- http://www.archive.org/details/whoswhoinstatepo1911bost
- http://www.archive.org/details/whoswhoinstatepo1915bost
- http://www.archive.org/details/whoswhoinstatepo1916bost
- http://virtualology.com/usvicepresidents/CALVINCOOLIDGE.ORG/
- http://books.google.com/books?id=H3oSAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA259&dq=%22henry+g.+wells%22#PPA259,M1
- http://books.google.com/books?id=04QfAAAAYAAJ&pg=RA1-PA524&lpg=RA1-PA524&dq=%22henry+g.+wells%22+harvard&source=bl&ots=SADPEc5m9U&sig=XXVh9tVmYq4RcdQyTp7kLscIRNU&hl=en&ei=wz3JSfbuJIaHtgepz9yiAw&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=1&ct=result
- http://books.google.com/books?id=tUYLAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA528&lpg=PA528&dq=%22henry+g.+wells%22+harvard&source=bl&ots=M5uZbAoDCO&sig=rePRXpMt41jMhTfHH5oLw473k0w&hl=en&ei=wz3JSfbuJIaHtgepz9yiAw&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=5&ct=result
- http://books.google.com/books?id=JxQ4AAAAIAAJ&pg=PR11&lpg=PR11&dq=%22henry+G.+wells%22+district+attorney&source=bl&ots=LTYSvxmoqt&sig=opDnel97ixMg2L-kpfFnbGeedZI&hl=en&ei=TkfKSa-_GaKNtgfq-MmmAw&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=2&ct=result#PPR10,M1
- http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?_r=1&res=9907E5D9143AE03ABC4C53DFB1668382609EDE
- http://books.google.com/books?id=quYuAAAAIAAJ&printsec=toc#PPA35,M1