Bio of WELLES, Henry Titus (b.1821 d.1898), Hennepin Co., MN
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EXTRACTED FROM: History of Minneapolis, Gateway to the Northwest; 
Chicago-Minneapolis, The S J Clarke Publishing Co, 1923; Edited by: Rev. 
Marion Daniel Shutter, D.D., LL.D.; Volume I - Shutter (Historical); 
volume II - Biographical; volume III - Biographical

Vol II, pg 692-696
HENRY TITUS WELLES
Elected the first mayor of St. Anthony, Henry Titus Welles not only directed the
destinies of this embryo little city but in considerable measure influenced the
affairs of the state. As lawyer and legislator, as lumber manufacturer and
railroad builder, he recognized conditions, made plans and worked for their
fulfillment. What he accomplished is a matter of history. He is one of the
outstanding figures in connec­tion with the annals of Minnesota and it is a
recognized fact that throughout his career he was actuated by a most
public-spirited devotion to the general good. He came of a family of Puritan
ancestry, long identified with progress in this country. He was born in
Glastonbury, Hartford county, Connecticut, April 3, 1821, and his ancestral line
is supposedly of Norman origin. One of the names inscribed on the roll of Battle
Abbey was R. de Euille, who is thought to be the ancestor of the Welles family
of England, the word having the same meaning. This family is traced in Normandy
to the latter part of the eighth century, from which time they held the highest
rank, personally and through intermarriage with royalty. The American branch of
the family can be traced back to Governor Thomas Welles, who was bora in
Northamptonshire, England, in 1598, and arrived in New England in 1636. Twenty
years later he served as governor of Connecticut and was reelected to the office
for a second term of two years. He likewise filled other important public
positions. The line of descent comes on down through Samuel, born in 1630, who
died in 1675; Samuel, born in 1660, who died in 1731; Thomas, born in 1693, who
died in 1767; Jonathan, born in 1732, who died in 1792; Jonathan, born in 1763,
who died in 1853; and Henry T., who was born in 1821 and died on the 4th of
March, 1898. Jonathan Welles, the grandfather of Henry T. Welles, was a graduate
of Yale College and remained as a tutor there. He married Catherine Saltonstall,
the granddaughter of Gurdon Saltonstall, governor of Connecticut from 1707 until
1724, his death occurring when he was in office.
The youthful days of Henry Titus Welles were spent upon his father's farm and
after completing his academic studies he became a student in Trinity College at
Hartford, from which he was graduated in 1843. The succeeding decade was passed
in his native town and on the farm, although he was not actively engaged in
agricul­tural pursuits, as his father was a man of very comfortable financial
circumstances. The son took up the study of law and was admitted to the bar in
Hartford county, Connecticut, in 1845. That he was keenly interested in public
affairs is indicated in the fact that when twenty-nine years of age he was
elected to represent his town in the general assembly as a member of the whig
party.
In 1853 Mr. Welles removed to the west, where he was destined to become one of
the builders of a great empire. He arrived in St. Anthony, where he turned his
attention to the lumber business and that he was a foremost figure in this
connection is indicated in the fact that he operated seven of the eight sets of
saws in St. Anthony. Because of the unsettled condition of the country, however,
the lumber trade was quite unstable and he soon gave it up to devote his
attention to other interests. He acquired a large amount of real estate,
including a share in the claim which Colonel John H. Stevens had entered on the
west side of the river and to which Mr. Welles removed in 1856. From the
beginning of his residence here Mr. Welles gave every indication of splendid
business ability, keen discernment and indefatigable energy and the recognition
of his salient characteristics caused his fellow townsmen repeatedly to urge him
to represent their interests in Washington. In the winter of 1854-5 he was
associated with Franklin Steele and Dr. A. E. Ames in reducing the military
reservation and opening the lands on the west side of the river to settlement
and purchase. In the winter of 1856-7 he was called to the national capital in
company with Richard Chute to aid delegate Henry M. Rice in procuring the
passage of the land grant act of that year. His labors there were very
effective. While he never claimed to be an orator he had the faculty of saying
in a convincing way that which he wished to express and his labors and clear
pres­entation of the cause were among the strongest forces in bringing about
favorable legislation. In the discussion and settlement of any vital question he
looked far beyond the exigencies of the moment to the opportunities and needs of
the future. When St. Anthony was incorporated as a city in March, 1855, Mr.
Welles was elected the first mayor, defeating Captain John Rollins, and party
spirit ran so high that the successful party celebrated its victory in a
banquet. With all those events which marked the steady growth and progress of
St. Anthony and Minneapolis, Mr. Welles was closely associated for many years.
At the first Minneapolis town election in 1858 he was chosen president of the
corporation and in the same year was chosen president of the school board. He
was one of those who actively participated in the contest which in the early
days existed between Nicollet avenue and Cataract street. In 1858 a hotel was
built on the corner of Washington avenue and Cataract street by some of the
progressive men of the city but ere its completion Messrs. Welles and . Steele
had brought about the building of the suspension bridge leading to Nicollet
avenue, where their interests chiefly lay and they set apart a very attractive
corner lot on Nicollet and Washington avenues, whereon was builded the Nicollet
House, with a bonus which they raised. In 1858 at the opening of the hotel a
banquet and celebration were held, in which Mr. Welles was one of the principal
speakers and with graphic clearness foretold the bright prospects of the city
and with notable prescience outlined much of the development that came with the
passing of later years. It seemed that there was no interest or public concern
with which Mr. Welles was not in some way identified. When in 1859 all of the
school teachers resigned because their salaries were much in arrears it was he
who, with others, procured funds to pay the teachers and thus led to the
resumption of school sessions. In 1860 a serious effort was made to unite the
two municipal corporations and Mr. Welles was appointed on a committee to draw
up a charter but the effort failed, as neither town at that period was willing
to give up its name. In 1863 Mr. Welles was made the democratic nominee for
governor. He had never sought nor desired public office and in fact, had always
refused to fill positions of public trust save when he felt that this course was
incompatible with the duties of good citizenship. In 1863 he was made the
democratic candidate for governor and such was his personal popularity that he
succeeded largely in reducing the majority of his opponents.
The name of Mr. Welles is perhaps most widely known in connection with his
activities in the promotion of railroads, leading to the building of the
Minneapolis & Duluth and the Minneapolis & St. Louis lines. In the land grant
act the line of rail­road provided for the Minnesota valley road with two
terminal lines diverging from a point of junction near Shakopee, the one
terminating at St. Paul and the other at St. Anthony. The public lands granted
for the lines were equally applicable to each branch but the control of the road
fell into the hands of the St. Paul & Sioux City Railroad Company, the managing
and controlling owners of which were residents of St. Paul. The road was built
from that city but the St. Anthony branch was neg­lected, although lands
equitably belonging to it were appropriated. This aroused the ire and the
determination of Mr. Welles, who resolved that the contemplated road to St.
Anthony should be built. When he called upon the president of the St. Paul &
Sioux City road to discuss the matter, he was informed by that official that the
com­pany did not intend to build the St. Anthony line, whereupon Mr. Welles
informed him that the people of Minneapolis would build it and if not allowed a
cooperating road they would provide a rival one. This statement was received as
a vain threat by President Drake of the other road but he was reckoning without
his host, for Mr. Welles never attempted anything that he did not accomplish.
The Minneapolis & St. Louis Railroad, accordingly, was organized, with Mr.
Welles as a director and the first president. He had the hearty support and
cooperation of the citizens of Minneapolis and among his fellow directors were:
General and Senator Wash-burn, Messrs. Sidle, Langdon, Martin, McNair, Atwater
and others. It was not long before a railroad was opened from White Bear Lake to
St. Anthony and from Minneapolis to the junction with the St. Paul & Sioux City
road and crossing that line was extended southerly to the state line and on into
the state of Iowa and westward into Dakota. Not only this but in the course of
time the line from St. Paul to the point of junction was abandoned for through
traffic and the derided St. Anthony line became the main line of the St. Paul
road. Thus, Minneapolis preserved her point of leadership as a business center,
soon outstripping her rival city in popu­lation and business activity.
With notable prescience Mr. Welles recognized the value of a business situation
or its strategic worth and he never lost sight of any plan or project that he
believed would benefit Minneapolis or lead to its future development. For an
extended period he occupied the presidency of the Northwestern National Bank and
served on its board of directors, making it one of the soundest financial
institutions of the state, its capital stock being increased to a million
dollars. Twenty years before Mr. Welles had assisted in organizing the Farmers &
Mechanics Savings Bank, of which he acted as trustee until it was placed on a
safe and sure foundation. Whenever any important public question was under
discussion the opinion of Henry Titus Welles was sought and his cooperation
solicited. His views were often an influencing factor in shaping the course of
events and he was truly one of the empire builders of the northwest.
On the 3d of May, 1853, Mr. Welles was married to Miss Jerusha H. Lord, a
daughter of Joseph and Chloe (Moulton) Lord, who were Connecticut people. The
death of Mr. Welles occurred March 4, 1898, while his widow survived until May
29, 1921, passing away at the notable old age of eighty-eight years. All of his
life he was a stanch member of the Protestant Episcopal church and served as
warden successively in Holy Trinity, Gethsemane and St. Mark's parishes. The
present St. Mark's church, at Hennepin avenue and Oak Grove street, stands on
the site of the old Welles homestead. In 1857 he became a member of the New
England Society and was one of its vice presidents. He served as one of the
early members of the board of education and upon the organization of the park
commission he was appointed to that board, on which he served until after the
act had been submitted and ratified by the people and the project safely
launched, when he resigned. He was a man of fine personal appearance, robust and
dignified, his upright purpose leaving its imprint upon his speeches, and in any
community he would be easily recognized as a leader among men. He possessed a
most retentive memory and could speak with authority upon various questions
related to the history of city and state, as well as questions of broad general
moment. He had marked influence over his fellowmen, for they soon came to
recognize his trustworthiness and his unselfishness in the expression of opinion
upon any public question, and the con­census of public opinion places him with
those whose labors have been most thor­oughly effective in advancing the welfare
of Minnesota. To know that he was associated with any movement would draw to it
a large following