Wills was born in Mariposa County, California on January 17, 1866. He moved to Agua Caliente, Arizona in 1883. As a young man he traveled, following rodeos around the country and in 1893 performed in a wild west show at the Chicago World Fair, and was also in Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show. He married Elizabeth C. Chamberlain of San Pedro in 1896. In 1900 he began the first of two consecutive terms on the Pinal County Board of Supervisors. He would serve another four consecutive terms as a supervisor from 1910 to 1918. From 1906 to 1910 he served as the Pinal County Sheriff. In 1910 he was a member of the State Constitutional Convention. He was a cattleman by vocation, and owned several ranches over the years, including the Tom Brown Ranch on the San Pedro River, and the Interocean Ranch.
