John Bell (June 19, 1796 – May 4, 1869) was a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

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 ...

for two months in 1851, filling a vacancy created by his predecessor’s death.

Life and career

Born in Pennsboro, Pennsylvania, Bell received a limited education. He moved to Ohio in 1810 with his parents, who settled in Greene County, near Xenia. He moved to Lower Sandusky in 1823 and served as mayor in 1830. He was the

probate judge A probate court (sometimes called a surrogate court) is a court that has competence in a jurisdiction to deal with matters of probate and the administration of estates. In some jurisdictions, such courts may be referred to as Orphans' Courts o ...

of Sandusky County for several terms. Bell was commissioned a

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...

in the state

militia A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...

in 1834 and commanded Ohio forces in the

Toledo War The Toledo War (1835–36), also known as the Michigan–Ohio War or the Ohio–Michigan War, was an almost bloodless boundary dispute between the U.S. state of Ohio and the adjoining territory of Michigan over what is now known as the Toledo ...

the next year. He served as postmaster of Lower Sandusky from November 14, 1838, to May 3, 1841. He served as member of the state house of representatives in 1844 and 1845. He served as mayor of

Fremont, Ohio Fremont is a city in and the county seat of Sandusky County, Ohio, United States, located along the banks of the Sandusky River. It is about 35 miles from Toledo and 25 miles from Sandusky. It is part of the Toledo metropolitan area. The populat ...

, in 1845 and 1846. Bell was elected as a Whig to the Thirty-first Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Amos E. Wood (January 7, 1851 – March 4, 1851).

Death

He was a

from 1852 to 1855 and again from 1858 to 1863. He died in

, on May 4, 1869 and was interred in

Oakwood Cemetery (Fremont, Ohio) Oakwood Cemetery is a cemetery located in Fremont, Ohio, United States. Notable interments United States President Rutherford B. Hayes (1822–1893) was buried here in 1893, and his body was moved to his former home, Spiegel Grove, in 1915 for b ...

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bell, John 1796 births 1869 deaths People from Fremont, Ohio American militia generals Members of the Ohio House of Representatives Mayors of places in Ohio Ohio state court judges Probate court judges in the United States Whig Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American judges