William Wells (1818–1889)

William Wells (15 March 1818 – 1 May 1889)[1][2] was an English Liberal Party politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1852 to 1857 and from 1868 to 1874.

Wells was the son of Captain William Wells, R.N. and his wife Lady Elizabeth Proby, daughter of John Proby, 1st Earl of Carysfort.[3] He was educated at Harrow School and at Balliol College, Oxford, and served in the 1st Life Guards from 1839 until 1843.[3] He was a J.P. and a Deputy Lieutenant for Kent and Huntingdonshire.[3]

At the 1852 general election Wells was elected as a Member of Parliament (MP) for the borough of Beverley.[4] He held the seat until his defeat in the 1857[2] by the Liberal Edward Glover.[5] An election petition was lodged by Wells[6] on the grounds that Glover was not duly qualified,[7] because he did not meet the property-holding requirements.[8] The issue had been raised during the election, and handbills circulated to that effect, but Glover had denied the allegations.[8] On 3 August 1853, the committee ruled that Glover had not been duly qualified, and that his election was void.[9] A by-election was held on 11 August 1853, when Wells stood again, but was defeated by the Conservative candidate Henry Edwards.

Wells contested the City of Peterborough at the 1852 general election, where he was the third-paced on the three Liberal candidates.[10] He won the seat at the 1868 general election,[11] defeating the Liberal MP Thomson Hankey,[10] a former Governor of the Bank of England. Wells remained an MP for Peterborough and held the seat until the 1874 general election,[1] when he did not stand again.[10]

Wells died at the age of 71.

Wells married Louisa, daughter of the Earl of Wemyss and March in 1854.

References

  1. ^ a b Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "P" (part 1)
  2. ^ a b Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "B" (part 3)
  3. ^ a b c Mair, Robert Henry (1870). Debrett's Illustrated House of Commons and the Judicial Bench 1870. London: Dean & Son. p. 283. http://www.archive.org/stream/debrettshouseo1870londuoft#page/283/mode/1up. 
  4. ^ London Gazette: no. 21341. p. 2011. 20 July 1852. Retrieved 18 December 2010.
  5. ^ Craig, F. W. S. (1989) [1977]. British parliamentary election results 1832–1885 (2nd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. p. 43. ISBN 0-900178-26-4. 
  6. ^ "Northern Circuit. York, July 10 (subscription required)". The Times (London): pp. 11, col B. 13 July 1857. http://infotrac.galegroup.com/itw/infomark/946/949/100030947w16/purl=rc1_TTDA_0_CS184979693&dyn=72!nxt_4_0_CS184979693. Retrieved 18 December 2010. 
  7. ^ "Election Petitions (subscription required)". The Times (London): pp. 12, col D. 23 May 1857. http://infotrac.galegroup.com/itw/infomark/946/949/100030947w16/purl=rc1_TTDA_0_CS202543287&dyn=71!nxt_3_0_CS202543287. Retrieved 18 December 2010. 
  8. ^ a b "Election Committees. Beverley. (subscription required)". The Times (London): pp. 7, col B. 3 August 1857. http://infotrac.galegroup.com/itw/infomark/946/949/100030947w16/purl=rc1_TTDA_0_CS117739779. Retrieved 18 December 2010. 
  9. ^ "Election Committees. Beverley. (subscription required)". The Times (London): pp. 3, col E. 4 August 1857. http://infotrac.galegroup.com/itw/infomark/946/949/100030947w16/purl=rc1_TTDA_0_CS50630916&dyn=75!nxt_6_0_CS50630916. Retrieved 18 December 2010. 
  10. ^ a b c Craig, pages 237–238
  11. ^ London Gazette: no. 23443. p. 5997. 20 November 1868. Retrieved 18 December 2010.

External links

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
John Towneley
Sackville Lane-Fox		 Member of Parliament for Beverley
1852 – 1857
With: Hon. Francis Charles Lawley 1852–1854
Hon. Arthur Hamilton-Gordon 1854–1857		 Succeeded by
Edward Glover
Hon. William Denison
Preceded by
Thomson Hankey
George Hammond Whalley		 Member of Parliament for Peterborough
1868 – 1874
With: George Hammond Whalley		 Succeeded by
Thomson Hankey
George Hammond Whalley