321:"Political power itself and the attention that it brought were what mattered to the Brownsville lawyer. In economic terms,... numerous other South Texas entrepreneurs overshadowed James B. Wels. Even as a highly esteemed lawyer, he served as the agent of more successful men. Only as a political leader did Wells stand on an equal footing with the powerful figures of the
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Wells' recommendations controlled the appointments of
Rangers serving in South Texas and his efforts at organizing South Texas legislators for the purpose were important in maintaining a permanent Ranger presence in Brownsville. Wells and his associates turned a blind eye to the abuses of that force,
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By 1890 approximately 97% of the land in
Cameron County was controlled by a group of 90 ranchers, who each owned between 1,000 and more than 300,000 acres of tillable soil and rangeland. Each of them controlled the political opinions and votes of a substantial number of their employees, predominately
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That took the form of the Blue Club of
Cameron County, which gathered together the powerful ranchers of the region to organize voting for unified Democratic tickets. When Powers died in 1882, leadership of the Cameron County Democratic organization fell to Wells, who would remain at the helm of the
181:
Wells proved to be a very successful local attorney by winning 20 victories in 21 cases during one session of the
Cameron County District Court. Wells came to be regarded as Powers' protégé and even married Powers' niece, Pauline Kleiber, on November 4, 1880. Together, the couple had a daughter and
185:
In addition to his practice of law, Wells was active as a ranch owner, land speculator, and investor in oil exploration and life insurance. He was unable to amass a fortune, however, and was driven to speculative investments, which sometimes failed magnificently and brought him to the brink of
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As a boy, James Wells Jr. lived in comparative isolation on St. Joseph Island, where he received most of his education directly from his mother. As he grew older, he began working at the family's ranch and eventually managed the operation.
654:
Harbert
Davenport, "Reminiscences of Judge James B. Wells: Interview by William A. Owens, July 12, 1952." Oral History of the Texas Oil Industry Collection, Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, University of Texas at
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relationship. That provided a durable electoral base for Wells and his political allies and enabled them to advance their political agenda of entrenching land ownership rights, maintaining low
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groups, conducted what one historian has called a "reign of terror" which killed at least 200 Mexicans during the bandit raids associated with the revolutionary crisis of 1915.
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252:. He was also a strong supporter of railroad construction in the region, including a bold 1889 project to connect Corpus Christi and Brownsville with the nations of
317:
In the estimation of historian Evan Anders, despite modest corruption in
Cameron County, financial gain was only a secondary motive behind Wells' public life:
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After his graduation from the
University of Virginia Law School, Wells returned to his native Texas to open up a legal practice in the Gulf Coast city of
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Wells remained the dominant figure in
Cameron County politics and controlled the government agenda and government patronage through the coming of
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in the early 1880s and as a gubernatorial appointee in 1897 to finish the term of an elected state district judge, who had been forced to resign.
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region.... Political power had made him an important man, and he relished the demonstration of that power in campaigns and factional battles."
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275:, with whom he consulted in patronage decisions from the 1890s. Wells held consistently conservative views, including support of the
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political boss
Stephen Powers. Powers would take Wells under his wing in 1878 after the death of Powers' junior partner in a
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Powers was instrumental in building up an organized
Democratic power base in Cameron County, which was dominated during the
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Although commonly known as "Judge," Wells was the holder of public office only briefly, as elected City Attorney of
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139:, settling on St. Joseph Island after the end of the conflict to raise cattle and operate a merchant ship.
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Wells' papers are housed at the Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, University of Texas at Austin.
150:, where he began to study law under the tutelage of a prominent attorney in that city. He enrolled in the
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as well as local political machines in neighboring counties. This included particularly his cohort
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firmly dominated Texas politics and Wells forged close ties with the political establishment in
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soon-to-be-dominant political party's patronage machine for the better part of four decades.
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302:. He would remain as chairman of the Cameron County Democratic Party until 1920.
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83:. Wells is remembered for the nearly four decades that he spent as a political
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Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, University of Texas at Austin.
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Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, University of Texas at Austin.
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226:, who retained the traditional deferential political attitudes of the
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three sons, with the oldest boy dying in a shooting accident in 1899.
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113:
626:
Tejano Legacy: Rancheros and Settlers in South Texas, 1734-1900.
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649:
The Texas Right: The Radical Roots of Lone Star Conservatism.
279:, and was a political opponent of reform Democratic Governor
651:
College Station, TX: Texas A&M University Press, 2014.
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James B. Wells: South Texas Economic and Political Leader.
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Texas State Historical Society online, www.tshaonline.org/
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Albuquerque, NM: University of New Mexico Press, 1998.
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in 1874 and received his degree the following year.
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families. The elder James Wells participated in the
647:David O'Donald Cullen and Kyle G. Wilkison (eds.),
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Austin, TX: University of Texas Press, 1982; pg. 5.
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43:
28:
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666:"A Guide to the James B. Wells Papers, 1837-1926,"
450:"A Guide to the James B. Wells Papers, 1837-1926,"
213:political appointees of the federal government in
644:Ph.D. dissertation, Texas Tech University, 1974.
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635:Austin, TX: University of Texas Press, 1982.
170:, however, where he gained the attention of
697:University of Virginia School of Law alumni
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310:Wells died on December 21, 1923, in
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71:(1850–1923) was an American lawyer,
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108:Wells was born July 12, 1850, on
166:. He soon moved his practice to
244:and federal troops to suppress
692:People from Brownsville, Texas
1:
712:19th-century American lawyers
190:on three separate occasions.
392:"James Babbage Wells, Jr.,"
332:was named in Wells' honor.
291:which, together with local
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633:Boss Rule in South Texas.
609:Boss Rule in South Texas,
596:Boss Rule in South Texas,
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570:Boss Rule in South Texas,
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544:Boss Rule in South Texas,
531:Boss Rule in South Texas,
502:Boss Rule in South Texas,
489:Boss Rule in South Texas,
476:Boss Rule in South Texas,
463:Boss Rule in South Texas,
411:Boss Rule in South Texas,
372:Boss Rule in South Texas.
285:Texas Railroad Commission
91:, and as the namesake of
146:In 1873, Wells moved to
36:St. Joseph Island, Texas
69:James Babbage Wells Jr.
395:The Handbook of Texas,
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261:conservative Democrats
62:Lawyer, political boss
448:"Biographical Note,"
319:
95:, in the same state.
89:Cameron County, Texas
638:Joe Robert Baulch,
624:Armando C. Alonzo,
518:Boss Rule in Texas,
437:Boss Rule in Texas,
424:Boss Rule in Texas,
312:Brownsville, Texas
207:Reconstruction Era
51:Brownsville, Texas
23:James B. Wells Jr.
224:Mexican-Americans
110:St. Joseph Island
87:from his base in
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135:of 1835-36 as a
133:Texas Revolution
93:Jim Wells County
77:Democratic Party
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687:1923 deaths
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300:World War I
269:Archie Parr
195:Brownsville
126:New England
104:Early years
81:South Texas
676:Categories
546:pp. 21-22.
465:pp. 4, 22.
259:From 1895
211:Republican
188:bankruptcy
122:Gulf Coast
339:Footnotes
293:vigilante
256:by rail.
148:Galveston
137:privateer
99:Biography
85:kingmaker
607:Anders,
598:pp. 8-9.
594:Anders,
581:Anders,
568:Anders,
555:Anders,
542:Anders,
529:Anders,
516:Anders,
500:Anders,
491:pp. 7-9.
487:Anders,
478:pp. 6-7.
474:Anders,
461:Anders,
435:Anders,
422:Anders,
409:Anders,
79:boss of
655:Austin.
611:pg. 25.
585:pg. 20.
572:pg. 19.
559:pg. 10.
533:pg. 21.
504:pg. 11.
439:pg. 24.
426:pg. 23.
129:sailing
73:rancher
520:pg. 9.
413:pg. 6.
265:Austin
228:patrón
75:, and
53:, U.S.
38:, U.S.
114:Texas
248:and
233:peón
176:duel
116:, a
44:Died
29:Born
271:of
209:by
112:in
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509:^
402:^
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