Wells was born in Buchans Junction, Newfoundland, at a time when the Dominion was under formal administration as a 'Commission of Government' from the United Kingdom.
He ranked in the middle of his class at Dalhousie Law, where future Canadian prime minister Brian Mulroney was a classmate for one year before failing.
Bishop grew up as the daughter of the village's leading business family, and herself graduated from the nursing program at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Halifax.
Wells and John Crosbie resigned from Cabinet on May 14, 1968 over concerns with Premier Smallwood's handling of financing for the Come By Chance Refinery project, which subsequently failed.
Wells left politics in 1971, and resumed his legal practice full-time, gradually developing his career and becoming one of the province's most successful lawyers.
In 1977, in the aftermath of the election of the separatist Parti Québécois government in 1976, Wells was asked to sit on the CBA Committee on the Constitution.
[12] In the 1989 general election, Wells led the party to power, defeating Tom Rideout and ending 17 years of Progressive Conservative rule.
Wells ran in his home riding of Humber East instead of Windsor-Buchans, but was defeated by Lynn Verge, despite having led his party to victory.
[13] Wells became a major figure on the national political stage at the time of the Meech Lake Accord for his opposition to several of its provisions.
It focuses on his re-entry into politics, early years as premier, and gives particular detailed emphasis to the Meech Lake debates, negotiations, and outcome.