Greeley Wells

George Greeley Wells (June 21, 1920 – September 22, 2014) was an American businessman, politician, and Marine Corps officer who is widely known for participating in the raising of the U.S. flag on Iwo Jima. He later worked as a corporate executive in the urban planning industry and would serve in local government in New Jersey.

Born and raised in Chicagoland, Wells graduated from Princeton University in 1943, joining the United States Marine Corps that same year. During World War II, he served as a battalion adjutant, whose job it was to carry the flag, during the Battle of Iwo Jima. On February 23, 1945, his unit summited Mount Suribachi and raised the first U.S. flag on Iwo Jima; the first time in history a foreign flag flew on Japanese soil. In 1957, Wells retired from the Marines with the rank of captain and returned to Chicago.

After moving to New Jersey in 1959, Wells worked as a partner at GW Bromley & Co. and later became the president of Sanborn Map Company. A member of the Republican Party, Wells served in multiple government positions in Harding Township; as a member of the township committee, a member of the township planning commission, as mayor in 1963, and as police commissioner. He also served as chair of the Morris County Republican Party Executive Committee, supporting the policies of "fusionism" and the burgeoning New Right movement. After retiring from politics, Wells organized a quinquennial reunion at the White House for surviving veterans of the Battle of Iwo Jima, attended by the President of the United States.