Erastus Wells

Erastus Wells

Erastus Wells (born December 2, 1823 in Sackets Harbor , New York , †  October 2, 1893 in St. Louis , Missouri ) was an American politician . Between 1869 and 1881 he represented the state of Missouri in the US House of Representatives twice .

Career

Erastus Wells attended public schools in his home country. In 1842 he moved to St. Louis, Missouri, where he started public transportation with horse-drawn buses. He later worked with horse-drawn trams. Between 1853 and 1867 he was a member of the city council of his new hometown. Wells also got into the railroad business and was president of the Missouri Railroad Company between 1859 and 1883 .

Politically, Wells was a member of the Democratic Party . In the congressional elections of 1868 he was elected to the US House of Representatives in Washington, DC in the first constituency of Missouri , where he succeeded Republican William A. Pile on March 4, 1869 . After three re-elections, he was able to complete four legislative terms in Congress by March 3, 1877 . From 1873 he represented the second district of his state there as the successor to Gustavus A. Finkelnburg . In 1876 he was defeated by Nathan Cole . Two years later he was able to win back his mandate in Congress and between March 4, 1879 and March 3, 1881, he was able to complete another legislative term.

In 1880 Erastus Wells declined to run again. Until 1883 he was President of the Laclede Gas Light Company . He died on October 2, 1893 in St. Louis, where he was also buried.

Web links

• Erastus Wells in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)

• Erastus Wells in the database of Find a Grave (English)