James M. Bell (28 March 1878 – 3 August 1953) was an American politician from Iowa. James M. Bell was born in

New Boston, Illinois New Boston is a city in Mercer County, Illinois, United States on the Mississippi River. The population was 683 at the 2010 census, up from 632 at the 2000 census. History New Boston was settled in the 1830s by "Yankee" migrants from Massachusett ...

on 28 March 1878, to parents Vashti Willets Bell and Omer H. Bell. For a time, Bell's family lived in Chicago, where James worked for

Marshall Field Marshall Field (August 18, 1834January 16, 1906) was an American entrepreneur and the founder of Marshall Field and Company, the Chicago-based department stores. His business was renowned for its then-exceptional level of quality and customer ...

. They later moved to

Burlington, Iowa Burlington is a city in, and the county seat of, Des Moines County, Iowa, United States. The population was 23,982 in the 2020 census, a decline from the 26,839 population in 2000. Burlington is the center of a micropolitan area, which includes ...

. Bell enlisted in the

Iowa National Guard The Iowa National Guard of the United States, National Guard consists of the: *Iowa Army National Guard and the *Iowa Air National Guard The Iowa National Guard headquarters is at Camp Dodge in Johnston, Iowa, Johnston, several miles north of th ...

at the age of fifteen. Bell was later employed by the Borden Milk Company for sixteen years, and subsequently sold insurance. In 1901, Bell became deputy auditor for

Des Moines County Des Moines County is located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 38,910. The county seat and largest city is Burlington, Iowa, Burlington. It is one of Iowa's two original counties alo ...

. From 1912 to 1916, he chaired the county branch of the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

. Bell then became involved in municipal politics, serving as the mayor of Burlington through 1920. Throughout the early 1930s, Bell was considered a potential candidate for the Burlington mayoralty. He was elected to the

Iowa Senate The Iowa Senate is the upper house of the Iowa General Assembly, United States. There are 50 seats in the Iowa Senate, representing 50 single-member districts across the state of Iowa with populations of approximately 60,927 per constituency, . ...

in 1934, and represented

District 9 ''District 9'' is a 2009 science fiction mockumentary film directed by Neill Blomkamp in his feature film debut, written by Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell, and produced by Peter Jackson and Carolynne Cunningham. It is a co-production of New Zeala ...

. During his single term as a state senator, Bell unsuccessfully campaigned for the Democratic nomination in

Iowa's 1st congressional district Iowa's 1st congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Iowa that covers its northeastern part, bordering the states of Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Illinois, and the Mississippi River. The district includes the cities o ...

in 1936 and 1938. He died on 3 August 1953.

References

County officials in Iowa 20th-century American legislators County auditors in the United States 1878 births People from Mercer County, Illinois Democratic Party Iowa state senators Businesspeople from Iowa Mayors of places in Iowa 1953 deaths American businesspeople in insurance 20th-century American businesspeople Politicians from Burlington, Iowa Iowa National Guard personnel {{Iowa-mayor-stub