Alexander Bell (1801–1871) was a

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

merchant both before and after that city became a part of the United States. He was elected to the first

Los Angeles Common Council The Los Angeles Common Council was the predecessor of the Los Angeles, California, City Council. It was formed in 1850 under state law, when the city had only 1,610 residents, and it existed until 1889, when the city had about 50,400 residents and ...

, the city's governing body, on July 1, 1850, but resigned on September 26 of that year.''Chronological Record of Los Angeles City Officials, 1850-1938'', compiled under direction of Municipal Reference Library, City Hall, Los Angeles (March 1938, reprinted 1966). "Prepared ... as a report on Project No. SA 3123-5703-6077-8121-9900 conducted under the auspices of the

Works Progress Administration The Works Progress Administration (WPA; renamed in 1939 as the Work Projects Administration) was an American New Deal agency that employed millions of jobseekers (mostly men who were not formally educated) to carry out public works projects, i ...

."J.M. Guinn, ''Historical and Biographical Record of Los Angeles and Vicinity'', Chicago: Chapman Publishing Company (1901)
/ref> Bell was born in Washington County, Pennsylvania, on January 9, 1801, and in 1823 he emigrated to

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

, where he lived until he came to Los Angeles in 1842. Two years later, he married Maria de las Nieves Guirado Botello.''Pioneer Register of California''
/ref> Bell took an active part in the

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

ns' revolution against Manuel Micheltorena in 1844. He was also a captain in the California Battalion during the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War, also known in the United States as the Mexican War and in Mexico as the (''United States intervention in Mexico''), was an armed conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848. It followed the 1 ...

. In 1845, he built the Bell Block on the southeast corner of Aliso and Los Angeles streets. It was also known as the Mellus Row and was for many years a notable landmark, where John C. Fremont established his headquarters when he was governor of the territory in 1847. Bell also built a warehouse in San Pedro. Bell died in Los Angeles, on July 24, 1871.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bell, Alexander Businesspeople from Los Angeles Los Angeles Common Council (1850–1889) members 19th-century American legislators 1801 births 1871 deaths Businesspeople from Pennsylvania People in 19th-century California 19th-century American merchants