Dick Wells

Preston Albert Wells Jr. (born Richard Wells; October 8, 1922 – September 2, 2003) was an American chemical engineer, business magnate, real estate investor, and cattle baron. He was president of The Las Olas Company, owner of the Riverside Hotel and Rush Creek Ranch, and a board member of The Heritage Foundation. A member of the Republican Party, he served on the Florida Tax Commission from 1979 to 1987.

Born and raised in Chicagoland, Wells graduated with a bachelor's degree in engineering from MIT and joined the United States Marine Corps that same year. During World War II, he was deployed to the Pacific and fought the Axis powers at the Battle of Iwo Jima. Returning home from the war, Wells worked for the Quaker Oats Company as chief chemical engineer before taking control of his family's real estate business and expanding it across South Florida. At the time of his death, he was the largest landholder in Las Olas Isles. A major political donor, Wells donated millions of dollars to conservative causes and organizations for decades and served as chairman of the Intercollegiate Studies Institute from 2002 to 2003.