Robert Bell (1821 – February 25, 1873) was a surveyor, journalist and political figure in

Canada West The Province of Canada (or the United Province of Canada or the United Canadas) was a British colony in North America from 1841 to 1867. Its formation reflected recommendations made by John Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham, in the Report on the ...

. He was born in

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

in 1821 and arrived in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

state with his parents. In 1823, they moved to a farm near

Kemptville Kemptville is a community located in the Municipality of North Grenville in Eastern Ontario, Canada in the northernmost part of the United Counties of Leeds and Grenville. It is located approximately south of the downtown core of Ottawa and s ...

Upper Canada The Province of Upper Canada (french: link=no, province du Haut-Canada) was a part of British Canada established in 1791 by the Kingdom of Great Britain, to govern the central third of the lands in British North America, formerly part of the ...

. He qualified as a land surveyor for the province in 1843. He moved to

Bytown Bytown is the former name of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It was founded on September 26, 1826, incorporated as a town on January 1, 1850, and superseded by the incorporation of the City of Ottawa on January 1, 1855. The founding was marked by a Grou ...

, where he began work as a surveyor. He surveyed the Muskoka, Haliburton and Nipissing areas as part of the government's plan to open up these areas for settlement. In 1849, he purchased the Bytown Packet newspaper, renamed the

Ottawa Citizen The ''Ottawa Citizen'' is an English-language daily newspaper owned by Postmedia Network in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. History Established as ''The Bytown Packet'' in 1845 by William Harris (journalist), William Harris, it was renamed the '' ...

in 1851, from Henry J. Friel and John George Bell. In it Bell expounded his ideas for promoting the settlement of the waste lands between Bytown and Lake Huron. He helped found the

Bytown and Prescott Railway The Bytown and Prescott Railway (B&PR) was a railway joining Ottawa (then called Bytown) with Prescott on the Saint Lawrence River. The company was incorporated in 1850, and the first train ran from Prescott into Bytown on Christmas Day, 1854. Th ...

and later became president. He served on the town council for Bytown and later represented Russell in the

7th 7 (seven) is the natural number following 6 and preceding 8. It is the only prime number preceding a cube (algebra), cube. As an early prime number in the series of positive integers, the number seven has greatly symbolic associations in religion ...

and 8th Parliaments for the

Province of Canada The Province of Canada (or the United Province of Canada or the United Canadas) was a British North America, British colony in North America from 1841 to 1867. Its formation reflected recommendations made by John Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham ...

. He died in

Hull, Quebec Hull is the central business district and oldest neighbourhood of the city of Gatineau, Quebec, Canada. It is located on the west bank of the Gatineau River and the north shore of the Ottawa River, directly opposite Ottawa. As part of the Canadia ...

in 1873.

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bell, Robert 1821 births 1873 deaths Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada from Canada West British surveyors Canadian surveyors Journalists from Ontario People from Leeds and Grenville United Counties Canadian people of Ulster-Scottish descent Ottawa Citizen people 19th-century Canadian journalists Canadian male journalists Ontario municipal councillors 19th-century Canadian male writers Irish emigrants to pre-Confederation Ontario Immigrants to Upper Canada