Alfred Wells was born in Dagsboro, Sussex County, Delaware on May 27, 1814.
He continued his anti-slavery activism by joining the Anti-Nebraska Party and attending its conventions in Saratoga and Auburn in 1854.
Like most members of the short-lived Anti-Nebraska Party, Wells became a Republican before 1860.
In 1862 Wells was appointed federal revenue assessor for the district which included Ithaca, responsible for the taxes enacted to finance the Union effort during the American Civil War, and served until his death.
This article incorporates public domain material from the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress