American politician (died 1851)
Joseph M. Bell
(March 21, 1787 ? July 25, 1851) was a
New Hampshire
and
Massachusetts
lawyer, abolitionist, and politician. Bell served as a member of the
New Hampshire House of Representatives
in 1821 and from 1828 to 1830 and the
Massachusetts House of Representatives
from 1845 to 1847. He served as a member of the
Massachusetts Senate
from 1848 to 1849 and
President of the Massachusetts Senate
in 1849.
Early life
[
edit
]
Joseph M. Bell was born on March 21, 1787 (or March 27, 1787), in
Bedford, New Hampshire
to Mary (nee Houston) and Joseph Bell.
[1]
[2]
[3]
He graduated from
Dartmouth College
in 1807.
[1]
[4]
He then worked as principal of Haverhill Academy in
Haverhill, New Hampshire
for one year. He studied law; reading law in the offices of Governor
Samuel Bell
, Judge
Samuel Dana
and Governor
Jeremiah Smith
. He was
admitted to the bar
in 1811.
[1]
[3]
Career
[
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]
Bell worked as a cashier with the Coos Bank and later became the bank president. In 1811, he started a law practice in Haverhill.
[1]
Bell joined the
New Hampshire Militia
, Second Division, around 1818.
[3]
Bell was appointed as Solicitor for
Grafton County, New Hampshire
. He worked in that role from 1815 to 1820.
[1]
[3]
He served in the
New Hampshire House of Representatives
, representing Haverhill, in 1821 and from 1828 to 1830.
[3]
Bell ran for U.S. Congress as a
Whig
in 1835.
[1]
[5]
In 1842, Bell moved his law practice to
Boston
and partnered with
Henry F. Durant
, founder of Wellesley College.
[1]
Bell also practiced law with his uncle and father-in-law
Rufus Choate
.
[6]
Bell represented Boston in the General Court from 1844 to 1847.
[3]
Bell served as a member of the
Massachusetts House of Representatives
, representing
Suffolk County
, from 1845 to 1847.
[7]
[8]
[9]
Bell served as a member of the
Massachusetts Senate
, representing Suffolk County, from 1848 to 1849. He served as
President of the Massachusetts Senate
in 1849.
[10]
[11]
[12]
[13]
Personal life
[
edit
]
Bell married Catherine Olcott, daughter of Mills Olcott of
Hanover, New Hampshire
.
[2]
Bell married Helen Olcott Choate, daughter of Rufus Choate and niece of his former wife. He had five children, including two daughters.
[1]
[14]
[15]
[16]
Bell was friends with
Daniel Webster
.
[4]
In December 1821, Bell purchased the
Wentworth Brown House
in Haverhill.
[1]
Later in life, Bell lived in Boston.
[17]
He owned property in Massachusetts,
Vermont
and
New Hampshire
.
[18]
Bell died on July 25, 1851, at
Saratoga Springs, New York
, while on vacation with his family.
[4]
[10]
Awards
[
edit
]
Bell received an honorary
LL.D.
degree from Dartmouth College in 1837.
[1]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
i
j
"Over 200 Years of History"
.
wentworthbrownproject.org
.
Archived
from the original on September 21, 2022
. Retrieved
September 21,
2022
.
- ^
a
b
"Genealogies"
.
History of Bedford New Hampshire From 1737
. The Rumford Printing Co. 1903. pp. 869?970
. Retrieved
September 21,
2022
– via
Internet Archive
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
"Military History of New Hampshire"
.
Report of the Adjutant General of the State of New Hampshire for the Year Ending June 1, 1868
. John B. Clarke. 1868. pp. 246?248
. Retrieved
September 21,
2022
– via
Internet Archive
.
- ^
a
b
c
"Hon. Joseph Bell"
.
The Pittsfield Sun
. July 31, 1851. p. 2
. Retrieved
September 20,
2022
– via
Newspapers.com
.
- ^
"New Hampshire"
.
The Vermont Courier
. January 30, 1835. p. 2
. Retrieved
September 21,
2022
– via
Newspapers.com
.
- ^
John R. Vile, ed. (2001),
Great American Lawyers: An Encyclopedia, Volume 1
,
Santa Barbara, California
: SABC-CLIO, p. 106
- ^
"State Government, 1845"
.
Massachusetts Register and United States Calendar for 1845
. 1845
. Retrieved
September 21,
2022
– via
Internet Archive
.
- ^
"State Government, 1846"
.
Massachusetts Register and United States Calendar for 1846
.
hdl
:
2027/umn.319510022331967
– via
HathiTrust
.
- ^
Capen, Nahum.
"State Government, 1847"
.
Massachusetts State Record and Year Book of General Information, 1847
. pp. 5 v.
hdl
:
2027/nyp.33433081766754
– via
HathiTrust
.
- ^
a
b
"Dead"
.
The Recorder
.
Greenfield, Massachusetts
. August 4, 1851. p. 2
. Retrieved
September 20,
2022
– via
Newspapers.com
.
- ^
Calhoun, William (1879).
Resolves of the General Court of Massachusetts in the Years 1849; 1851; 1850
.
Boston, Massachusetts
: Secretary of the Commonwealth. p. 268.
- ^
Capen, Nahum.
"State Government, 1848"
.
Massachusetts State Record and Year Book of General Information, 1848
. pp. 5 v.
hdl
:
2027/nyp.33433081766747
– via
HathiTrust
.
- ^
Capen, Nahum.
"State Government, 1849"
.
Massachusetts State Record and Year Book of General Information, 1849
. pp. 5 v.
hdl
:
2027/chi.108279638
– via
HathiTrust
.
- ^
"Death of Hon. Joseph Bell"
.
The Liberator
. August 1, 1851. p. 3
. Retrieved
September 20,
2022
– via
Newspapers.com
.
- ^
Memorial biographies of the New England Historic Genealogical Society
. Vol. 3. New England Historic Genealogical Society. 1883. p. 434
. Retrieved
September 21,
2022
– via
Internet Archive
.
- ^
Cogswell, John B. D. (1884).
Memoir of Rufus Choate
. pp. 427, 429, 434
. Retrieved
September 21,
2022
– via
Library of Congress
.
- ^
"Hon. Joseph Bell"
.
New England Farmer
.
Boston, Massachusetts
. August 2, 1851. p. 3
. Retrieved
September 20,
2022
– via
Newspapers.com
.
- ^
"The estate..."
Greenfield Democrat
.
Greenfield, Massachusetts
. August 4, 1851. p. 3
. Retrieved
September 20,
2022
– via
Newspapers.com
.
External links
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]