Wells, Earl J.

Earl J. Wells was born in La Vina, Madera County, California, on November 5, 1892, to Hiram J. Wells and Allie May Millner. Raised on his father’s ranch near Selma, he attended local schools and completed a commercial course at Heald’s Business College in Fresno. After beginning his career in real estate at age eighteen, he formed a successful partnership with W. A. Lewis in Selma and later established the Sun Maid Realty Company in 1919.

In Fresno County, Earl became a prominent real estate figure and rancher, acquiring eleven ranches alongside his various business enterprises. During the World War, he enlisted in 1917 and served in the Intelligence Department at Key West before his discharge at Mare Island in November 1918. Married to Bertha Louise Roberts on July 20, 1911, he remained an active Mason, a member of the First Christian Church, and a stockholder in both the Raisin and Peach Growers associations.