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George A. Wells (October 7, 1910–October 18, 1979) was an American politician who served 13 terms on the Worcester, Massachusetts, city council and was a member of the Massachusetts Governor's Council.

Early life

Wells was born on October 7, 1910, in Worcester. He attended public grammar school in Worcester and graduated from St. Stephen's High School. He served three years in the United States Army during World War II. After the war, Wells published Worcester Yank, a weekly magazine for veterans and ran a public relations firm.

Political career

In 1947, Wells was elected to the Worcester Board of Aldermen. During his first term he accused the city librarian of being a communist, which led to backlash for Wells. In 1949, the city switched to a new form of government and Wells was elected to the first of his thirteen terms as a city councilor.

In 1950, Wells became the first Democrat elected to represent the 7th District on the Massachusetts Governor's Council. He was defeated for reelection in 1952 by Gabriel G. Morze, but regained his seat in 1954. In 1955 opposed state treasurer John F. Kennedy's nomination of his brother, James A. Kennedy, as his third deputy. James Kennedy challenged Wells to an “intelligence test” and the former labor defeated Wells by achieving a score of 99 out of 99 to Wells' 98 out of 99. In 1956, Wells was a candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts. He finished third in the Democratic primary behind Robert F. Murphy and James A. Burke. In 1957, Wells was appointed deputy state commissioner of commerce. In this role, he was responsible for promoting tourism in Massachusetts.

Wells was a delegate to the 1960 Democratic National Convention, which nominated Massachusetts' John F. Kennedy as president. The convention band was unable to find a song that identified Kennedy with his home state and on his way home, Wells wrote The Great State of Massachusetts. J. Earl Bley, a musician friend of Wells, wrote the music. On November 24, 1997, The Great State of Massachusetts was designated the state glee club song of Massachusetts by the Massachusetts General Court.

In 1966 and 1970, Wells was chosen by his fellow city councilors to serve as Mayor of Worcester, a largely ceremonial position under the city charter. Wells remained active in politics after retiring from the council. In 1979 he and city councilor Jordan Levy announced plans to form an association that would oppose the fluoridation of the city’s water. Wells died on October 18, 1979.

References

1. ^ Public Officers of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts 1955-56. Retrieved September 1, 2021.
2. ^ "Councilor Wells Seeking No. 2 Spot on Democrat Ticket". The Boston Daily Globe. January 8, 1956.
3. ^ Achorn, Robert C. (November 2, 1997). "Council-manager system marks 50th anniversary". Telegram & Gazette.
4. ^ Lewis, William J. (April 14, 1957). "Former Councilor Wells Chosen as Commerce Aide". The Boston Daily Globe.
5. "Politics: Some notable names from 1916-1965". Telegram & Gazette. June 26, 2016. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
6. election Statistics; The Commonwealth of Massachusetts 1952.
7. "Both Kennedy Kin Outwit Wells, 99-98". The Boston Daily Globe. March 6, 1955.
8. "Ex-Laborer Beats Governor's Councillor In Boston I. Q. Contest Over Disputed Job". The New York Times. March 6, 1955.
9. Election Statistics.
10. "Former Councilor George Wells Named To Commerce Post". The Boston Daily Globe. June 7, 1957.
11. "Senators sing out for anthem". Telegram & Gazette. April 6, 1993.
12. "Section 43: Glee club song of commonwealth". The General Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Retrieved 13 September 2021.
13. https://web.archive.org/web/20121024071837/http://www.worcpublib.org/resources/mayors.htm List of Mayors of Worcester, Massachusetts from the Worcester Public Library
14. Carreno, Richard (August 19, 1979). "Worcester renews fluoridation fight". The Boston Globe.
15. "George A Wells". Worcester County Memorial Park. Retrieved 12 September 2021.

• 1910 births
• 1979 deaths
• American anti-communists
• American magazine publishers (people)
• American public relations people
• Massachusetts Democrats
• Mayors of Worcester, Massachusetts
• Members of the Massachusetts Governor's Council
• United States Army personnel of World War II