[1] He served three years in the United States Army during World War II.
[2] After the war, Wells published Worcester Yank, a weekly magazine for veterans and ran a public relations firm.
During his first term he accused the city librarian of being a communist, which led to backlash for Wells.
[3][5] In 1950, Wells became the first Democrat elected to represent the 7th District on the Massachusetts Governor's Council.
[4][10] Wells was a delegate to the 1960 Democratic National Convention, which nominated Massachusetts' John F. Kennedy as president.