Robert William Wells

American judge

Robert William Wells

Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri
In office
March 3, 1857 – September 22, 1864
Preceded by| Office established
Succeeded by| Arnold Krekel
Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Missouri
In office
June 27, 1836 – March 3, 1857
Nominated by| Andrew Jackson
Preceded by| James H. Peck
Succeeded by| Office abolished
3rd Attorney General of Missouri
In office
1826–1836
Preceded by| Rufus Easton
Succeeded by| William Barclay Napton
Personal details
Born| (1795-11-29)November 29, 1795
Winchester, Virginia, U.S.
Died| September 22, 1864(1864-09-22) (aged 68)
Bowling Green, Kentucky, U.S.
Resting place| Woodland-Old City Cemetery,
Jefferson City, Missouri, U.S.
38°34′02.1″N 92°09′45.4″W﻿ / ﻿38.567250°N 92.162611°W﻿ / 38.567250; -92.162611
Political party| Democratic
Known for| Seal design

Robert William Wells (November 29, 1795 – September 22, 1864) was an American lawyer and jurist who served as judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri (1857–1864) and the United States District Court for the District of Missouri (1836–1857). He previously served as the 3rd attorney general of Missouri from 1826 to 1836. Wells is credited with designing the Missouri State Seal.

## Contents

* 1 Early life and career
* 2 Federal judicial service
* 3 See also
* 4 References
* 5 External links

## Early life and career[edit]

Born in Winchester, Virginia,[1] Robert William Wells read law to enter the bar in 1820.[1] He was in private practice in St. Charles, Missouri from 1820 to 1821, and was a circuit attorney of the St. Charles Circuit from 1821 to 1822.[1] In 1822, he designed the Missouri State Seal.[2] He was a member of the Missouri House of Representatives from 1823 to 1826.[1] He was the attorney general of Missouri from 1826 to 1836.[1]

## Federal judicial service[edit]

Wells was nominated by President Andrew Jackson on June 16, 1836, to a seat on the United States District Court for the District of Missouri vacated by Judge James H. Peck.[1] He was confirmed by the United States Senate on June 27, 1836, and received his commission the same day.[1] Wells was reassigned by operation of law to the United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri on March 3, 1857, to a new seat authorized by 11 Stat. 197.[1] His service terminated on September 22, 1864, due to his death in Bowling Green, Kentucky.[1]

## See also[edit]

* Great Seal of Missouri
* List of attorneys general of Missouri
* List of federal judges appointed by Andrew Jackson

## References[edit]

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Robert William Wells at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
2. ^ Davis, Elizabeth (December 26, 2018). "Historically Yours: Robert Wells, The Great Seal of Missouri". News Tribune. Retrieved January 29, 2020.

## External links[edit]

* Robert William Wells at Ballotpedia
* Robert William Wells at Find a Grave
* Robert W. Wells Papers, 1826-1863 at The State Historical Society of Missouri

Offices and distinctions

| Legal offices

Preceded by

Rufus Easton

|  Attorney General of Missouri
1826–1836  | Succeeded by

William Barclay Napton

Preceded by

James H. Peck

|  Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Missouri
1836–1857  | Succeeded by

Office abolished

New office |  Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri
1857–1864  | Succeeded by

Arnold Krekel

* v
* t
* e

Attorneys General of Missouri

1. Edward Bates (1820–1821)
2. Rufus Easton (1821–1826)
3. Robert William Wells (1826–1836)
4. William Barclay Napton (1836–1839)
5. Samuel Bay (1839–1845)
6. B. F. Stringfellow (1845–1849)
7. William A. Robards (1849–1851)
8. James B. Gardenhire (1851–1857)
9. Ephraim Brevard Ewing (1857–1858)
10. J. Proctor Knott (1858–1861)
11. Aikman Welch (1861–1864)
12. T. T. Crittenden (1864–1865)
13. Robert Wingate (1865–1869)
14. Horace B. Johnson (1869–1871)
15. Andrew Baker (1871–1872)
16. Henry Ewing (1872–1875)
17. John A. Hockaday (1875–1877)
18. Jackson Smith (1877–1881)
19. Daniel McIntyre (1881–1885)
20. Banton Boone (1885–1889)
21. John M. Wood (1889–1893)
22. Robert Walker (1893–1897)
23. Edward Coke Crow (1897–1905)
24. Herbert S. Hadley (1905–1909)
25. Elliot Woolfolk Major (1909–1913)
26. John Barker (1913–1917)
27. Frank McAllister (1917–1921)
28. Jesse W. Barrett (1921–1925)
29. Robert Otto (1925)
30. North Gentry (1925–1928)
31. Stratton Shartel (1928–1933)
32. Roy McKittrick (1933–1945)
33. Jonathan E. Taylor (1945–1953)
34. John M. Dalton (1953–1961)
35. Thomas Eagleton (1961–1965)
36. Norman H. Anderson (1965–1969)
37. John Danforth (1969–1977)
38. John Ashcroft (1977–1985)
39. William L. Webster (1985–1993)
40. Jay Nixon (1993–2009)
41. Chris Koster (2009–2017)
42. Josh Hawley (2017–2019)
43. Eric S. Schmitt (2019–present)

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