As worthy as Verne was, he was more a Belle Epoque adventure writer than an author trying to establish and promote a worldview as Welles was. Verne of course died before WWI laid waste to European civilization and made its shattered nations susceptible to Communism, with Welles becoming remarkably popular in that era in spite of his often heavy didacticism. The point though is not to mark the beginnings of sci fi but to identify Welles as a major influence on Heinlein.
No doubt. Fortunately, Heinlein threw off said influence and found his own voice. One thing that was pellucidly clear...Heinlein was an American patriot.