Robert William Wells
Robert William Wells (November 29, 1795 – September 22, 1864) was a United States federal judge.
Born in Winchester, Virginia, Wells read law to enter the bar in 1820. He was in private practice in Saint Charles, Missouri, from 1820 to 1821, and was a circuit attorney of the St. Charles Circuit from 1821 to 1822. In 1822, he designed the Missouri State Seal. He was a member of the Missouri House of Representatives from 1823 to 1826. He was the Attorney General of Missouri from 1826 to 1836.
On June 16, 1836, Wells was nominated by President Andrew Jackson to a seat on the United States District Court for the District of Missouri vacated by James H. Peck. Wells was confirmed by the United States Senate on June 27, 1836, and received his commission the same day. On March 3, 1857, the District of Missouri was subdivided, and Wells was reassigned by operation of law to the United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri. He served in that capacity until his death, in 1864, in Bowling Green, Kentucky.
Sources
- Robert William Wells at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
| Legal offices | ||
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| Preceded by Rufus Easton |
Missouri State Attorney General 1826–1836 |
Succeeded by William Barclay Napton |
| Preceded by James H. Peck |
Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Missouri 1836–1857 |
Succeeded by seat abolished |
| Preceded by new seat |
Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri 1857–1864 |
Succeeded by Arnold Krekel |
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