James Bell (26 September 1836 – 24 February 1908) was an Australian politician, member of the

Victorian Legislative Council The Victorian Legislative Council (VLC) is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of Victoria, Australia, the lower house being the Legislative Assembly. Both houses sit at Parliament House in Spring Street, Melbourne. The Legislative Co ...

from 1880 to May 1904.

Early life

Bell was born at

Sanquhar Sanquhar ( sco, Sanchar, gd, Seanchair) is a village on the River Nith in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, north of Thornhill and west of Moffat. It is a former Royal Burgh. It is notable for its tiny post office, established in 1712 and con ...

Dumfriesshire Dumfriesshire or the County of Dumfries or Shire of Dumfries (''Siorrachd Dhùn Phris'' in Gaelic) is a historic county and registration county in southern Scotland. The Dumfries lieutenancy area covers a similar area to the historic county. I ...

, Scotland, the son of James Bell, a store-keeper, and his wife Ann (''née'' Turnbull). Bell emigrated to Victoria in 1857, commenced business at

Dunolly Dunolly is a town in Victoria, Australia, located on the Dunolly - Maryborough Road, in the Shire of Central Goldfields. At the 2016 census, Dunolly had a population of 893, down from 969 in 2006. History The town began during the Victorian Go ...

and was one of the first representatives of the district, mayor from 1862 to 1865.

Political career

In 1881 the Reform Act included Dunolly in the

North West Province North West is a province of South Africa. Its capital is Mahikeng. The province is located to the west of the major population centre of Gauteng and south of Botswana. History North West was incorporated after the end of Apartheid in 1994, an ...

. He accepted office without portfolio in the

Duncan Gillies Duncan Gillies (14 January 1834 – 12 September 1903), was an Australian colonial politician who served as the 14th Premier of Victoria. Gillies was born at Overnewton near Glasgow, Scotland, where his father had a market garden. He was sent ...

Alfred Deakin Alfred Deakin (3 August 1856 – 7 October 1919) was an Australian politician who served as the second Prime Minister of Australia. He was a leader of the movement for Federation, which occurred in 1901. During his three terms as prime ministe ...

Government on 20 April 1886, and acted as Minister of Defence during Sir James Lorimer's absence in England, in 1887. He also assisted Mr. Dow in discharging the duties of Minister of Water Supply during Mr. Deakin's attendance at the Colonial Conference in London in that year. On the death of Sir James Lorimer, in September 1889, he was appointed Minister of Defence, and retired with his colleagues in November 1890. Bell remained in the council until May 1904.

Business career

Bell opened a business in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

in 1886. He was a major shareholder in the City Newspaper Company, chairman of Swallow & Ariell Limited and a director of the Mercantile Bank. After the Bank collapsed due to

land speculation In finance, speculation is the purchase of an asset (a commodity, goods, or real estate) with the hope that it will become more valuable shortly. (It can also refer to short sales in which the speculator hopes for a decline in value.) Many s ...

in 1892, Bell and other directors were charged with conspiring to produce "a false and fraudulent balance sheet". Alfred Deakin defended Bell before the magistrates and Bell was found not guilty. James Bell and Company was also a major grain exporter, having branches in

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

and

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

as well as the Melbourne headquarters.

Legacy

Bell died on 24 February 1908, at his home ''Sherbrook'',

Elsternwick, Victoria Elsternwick is an inner suburb in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, 9 km south-east of Melbourne's Melbourne city centre, Central Business District, located within the City of Glen Eira local government areas of Victoria ...

, survived by his wife Elizabeth (''née'' Riddell), and all but two of their eleven children. He was buried at

Brighton Cemetery Brighton General Cemetery is located in the Melbourne suburb of Caulfield South, Victoria, but takes its name from Brighton, Victoria. History The Cemetery pre-dates the Caulfield Roads Board - the first official recognition of the suburb of Ca ...

. Bell's eldest son, George, carried on the family business.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bell, James 1836 births 1908 deaths Members of the Victorian Legislative Council Scottish emigrants to colonial Australia People from Sanquhar Burials in Victoria (Australia) 19th-century Australian politicians