Wells, James Madison, 1808-1899

Born near Alexandria, La., in 1808, James Madison Wells was the son of Samuel Levi Wells II, a member of the Louisiana constitutional convention in 1811. After completing his education at St. Joseph's College in Bardstown, Ky., and at Cincinnati Law School, Wells returned to Louisiana to manage his family's plantations. He married Mary Ann Scott in 1833. Wells was an active Whig but transferred his allegiance to the Democratic Party after the Whig Party's collapse in the 1850s, supporting Stephen A. Douglas, the Democratic candidate for president in 1860. A staunch Unionist during the Civil War, Wells served as governor of Louisiana from 1865 to 1867. Ousted from office by General Philip Sheridan due to his failure to control violence arising from controversial actions taken during the Louisiana constitutional convention in 1864, Wells returned to his home parish and became a notorious scalawag known by his political opponents as "Mad Wells." Active in Republican politics in Louisiana, Wells was appointed chairman of the state returning board, which was responsible for determining the legality of ballots, in 1873. His efforts to assist Republicans in elections helped earn him appointment as surveyor of the Port of New Orleans from 1874-1880. He died at his home in Rapides Parish in 1899.

From the description of James Madison Wells papers, 1865-1899. (Louisiana State University). WorldCat record id: 696003526

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