[3] In 1852, he won the Democratic nomination in a special election for Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of California, defeating the incumbent Alexander O. Anderson who had been appointed to the vacancy caused by the resignation of Henry A. Lyons.

On November 2, 1852, Wells was elected for the remainder of the term, which expired at the end of 1854.

[5] One historian summed up his judicial career as follows: "The sixth associate justice, Alexander Wells, who came to the bench in 1853 at the age of 59, [sic] died a year later, leaving no published legal mark on the court".

[7] Together they had: Wells died suddenly on October 31, 1854, at his home in San Jose, California.

[13][14] In 1903, his widow inherited the estate of her sister, Joanna L. Van Wyck, estimated at several million dollars.