James Finley Bell, Jr. (1915–2005) was a Democratic lawyer from

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

. He was a local judge, and was elected twice to the

Ohio Supreme Court The Ohio Supreme Court, Officially known as The Supreme Court of the State of Ohio is the highest court in the U.S. state of Ohio, with final authority over interpretations of Ohio law and the Ohio Constitution. The court has seven members, a ...

. He wrote the majority opinion of the court affirming the conviction of

Sam Sheppard Samuel Holmes Sheppard, Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine, D.O. ( – ) was an American Neurosurgery, neurosurgeon. He was exonerated in 1966, having been convicted of the 1954 murder of his pregnant wife, Marilyn Reese Sheppard. The case was con ...

in the murder of his wife, which was later overturned by the United States Supreme Court. Bell was born in

Madison County, Ohio Madison County is a county located in the central portion of the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 43,824. Its county seat is London. The county is named for James Madison, President of the United States and was es ...

on January 12, 1915, the son of James F. Bell, Sr. and Rowena Moore Bell. He graduated from

DePauw University DePauw University is a private liberal arts university in Greencastle, Indiana. It has an enrollment of 1,972 students. The school has a Methodist heritage and was originally known as Indiana Asbury University. DePauw is a member of both the G ...

in 1936 and from the Ohio State University Law School. He was admitted to the Ohio bar in 1939, and began a private practice in

London, Ohio London is a city in and the county seat of Madison County, Ohio, United States. Located about southwest of the Ohio capital of Columbus, London was established in 1811 to serve as the county seat. The population was 10,279 at the 2020 census. ...

. He was a special agent of the

Federal Bureau of Investigation The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, ...

from 1942 to 1945, then returned to private practice in London. Bell's father was judge of the Madison County Court of Common Pleas. Bell, Sr. died in 1947, and Bell, Jr. was appointed to replace him. He won the unexpired portion of his father's term in 1948, and a full six-year term in 1950. In 1954 he was elected to a six-year term on the

. He wrote the majority opinion in 1956 in ''State of Ohio vs. Sheppard'' which affirmed the guilty verdict of doctor Sam Sheppard in the murder of his wife, Marilyn. The United States Supreme Court overturned the verdict in 1965, and ordered a new trial. In 1966, a jury acquitted Sheppard. In 1960, Bell won a second six-year term on the court. He resigned effective October 8, 1962, and joined the

Columbus, Ohio Columbus () is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest, after Chicago, and t ...

firm ''Power, Griffith, Jones and Bell''. In 1971, Bell and first wife, Charlotte Engard Bell, moved to

Holmes Beach, Florida Holmes Beach is a city on Anna Maria Island in Manatee County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 3,010, down from 3,836 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Bradenton-Sarasota-Venice, Florida Metropolitan S ...

, where he was general counsel of General Telephone Company of Florida. The couple divorced, and Bell married Gloria Ingles Daubenspeck Smith. He retired from the telephone company in 1980 and formed an arbitration firm. Bell died at home in

Bradenton, Florida Bradenton ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Manatee County, Florida, Manatee County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the city's population is 55,698. History Late 18th and early 19th centuries ...

on September 23, 2005. He and his first wife had two children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bell, James Finley Justices of the Ohio Supreme Court 1915 births 2005 deaths Ohio Democrats People from Madison County, Ohio Federal Bureau of Investigation agents DePauw University alumni Ohio State University Moritz College of Law alumni 20th-century American judges People from Holmes Beach, Florida People from Bradenton, Florida