User:Macruari/Hulet M. Wells

Hulet Martell Wells was born May 4, 1878 the son of Canadian immigrants and died on February 15, 1970 in Seattle, Washington. He was a political activist and labor leader in the Pacific Northwest in the early part of the twentieth century.

Wells was chairman of the Socialist Party of Washington, president of the Seattle Central Labor Council, a founder of the National Federation of Post Office Clerks (ca. 1917), a founder of the Unemployed Citizen's League in Seattle (1931), and administrative assistant to Congressman Marion A. Zioncheck. He was convicted of sedition during the First World War and served his sentence at McNeil Island and Leavenworth prisons until 1920.

Early Life
Coming of age in the years which featured growing social inequality, the Panic of 1893, and the Klondike Gold Rush, Wells was influenced not only by the conditions within which he and his family worked but also by the socialist literature of the time. After having worked various jobs as a youth, he was able to secure a position as a postal clerk in 1904.

Socialist Years
Wells' earlier experiences led to his joining the Socialist Party of America in 1905. He had become immersed in the socialist literature of the time such as Edward Bellamy's Equality as well as the newspaper Appeal to Reason. The year 1908 brought a number of changes to Wells' life. He formed the Postal Clerks Union, Local 28 in April, was married to Nesta King in July, and suffered an economic setback at the hands of his employer for being the master of ceremonies for Eugene Debs' presidential campaign stop in September. His continued work for socialist causes resulted in his dismissal from federal civil service in 1909.