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| children =Frank Everett Welles<br/>Ruth Alden Langford| signature =Welles-sig.jpgpng

Welles was born in [[1855]] in Mystic, Connecticut and was educated in the schools of that city. In his youth he was employed by Captain T. C. Cobb of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, who operated a fleet of ice-harvesting ships. In the early 1870s, Welles was the purser of a ship delivering ice to the [[Pensacola Fish Company]], a leading fishing company in Pensacola. The owner, [[E. E. Saunders]], was apparently so impressed by Welles that he offered to sell him a stake in the company. Welles returned to Massachusetts, where he married Captain Cobb's daughter, Caroline Brown Cobb, and borrowed money from him to purchase his stake in Saunders' company. Thereafter, he moved with his wife, first to Key West, before settling in Pensacola around [[1878]], at which time Welles began working for Saunders. Around [[1883]] Saunders reincorporated the company as the [[E. E. Saunders Company]], with Welles as partner and manager. At the time, the E. E. Saunders Company employed over one thousand men, operated ice and fishmeal manufacturing plants, and had an annual payroll exceeding $100,000.<ref>[http://www.stjohnshistoriccemetery.com/pensacolas_heritages/fishing.htm#t_e_welles Pensacola’s Heritage at St John’s Historic Cemetery]</ref>

Around [[1875]] he moved south, first to Key West, before settling in Pensacola around [[1878]], at which time Welles began working for the [[Pensacola Fish Company]]. On [[June 24]], [[1882]] he married Caroline Brown Cobb of Pensacola. Around [[1883]] Welles, in partnership with [[E. E. Saunders]], incorporated the [[E. E. Saunders Company]], with Welles acting as manager. At its height, the E. E. Saunders Company employed over one thousand men, operated ice and fishmeal manufacturing plants, and had an annual payroll exceeding $100,000.<ref>[http://www.stjohnshistoriccemetery.com/pensacolas_heritages/fishing.htm#t_e_welles Pensacola’s Heritage at St John’s Historic Cemetery]</ref> Welles became very successful and in later years entered the banking industry, serving as vice president of the [[Citizens National Bank]] and a director of the [[Peoples National Bank]]. He also served for a time as president of the [[Gulf City Coffee Company]], and formed a joint venture with grocer [[Sol Cahn]] called the [[Welles-Cahn Company]]. Welles served as the president of the Young Men's Business League and the Good Government League, and was a member of the Knights of Pythias, Knights of Honor, the Improved Order of Red Men, Woodmen of the World, and the Masons. Welles owned a home at [[Gadsden Street]] and [[12th Avenue]], as well as a large plantation in north Alabama.

Welles was a Democrat, and served for a number of years on the state Democratic Executive Committee. He served as [[Mayor of Pensacola]] from [[1903]]-[[19051904]].