John Calhoun Bell (December 11, 1851 – August 12, 1933) was a U.S. Representative from

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the ...

Biography

Born near

Sewanee, Tennessee Sewanee () is a census-designated place (CDP) in Franklin County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 2,535 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Tullahoma, Tennessee Micropolitan Statistical Area. Sewanee is best known as the home of ...

, Bell was the son of Harrison and Rachel Laxon Bell. He attended public and private schools in Franklin County, and studied law in Winchester, Tennessee. He was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

in 1874, and married Susie Abernathy in 1881.

Career

Bell moved to Colorado in 1874 and commenced practice in

Del Norte, Colorado Del Norte is a Statutory Town that is the county seat of Rio Grande County, Colorado, United States. The town's name is most commonly pronounced /ˈdɛl nɔɹt/. The town population was 1,458 at the 2020 United States Census. History Del Nort ...

, moving to Saguache, Colorado, the same year. He served as

county attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or state attorney is the chief prosecutor and/or chief law enforcement officer representing a U.S. state in a lo ...

Saguache County, Colorado Saguache County (suh-WATCH ) is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 census, the population was 6,368. The county seat is Saguache. History Saguache County was formed December 29, 1866 in the Territory of Colorado ...

, from 1874 to May 1876. He moved to Lake City, Colorado, in 1876, and was elected

county clerk A clerk is a white-collar worker who conducts general office tasks, or a worker who performs similar sales-related tasks in a retail environment. The responsibilities of clerical workers commonly include record keeping, filing, staffing service ...

Hinsdale County, Colorado Hinsdale County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 census, the population was 788, making it the second-least populous county in Colorado. With a population density of only , it is also the least-densely populated ...

in 1878. He served as

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...

of Lake City in 1885. He moved to

Montrose, Colorado Montrose is a home rule municipality that is the county seat and the most populous municipality of Montrose County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 20,291 at the 2020 census, within a total area of 18.5 square miles. The m ...

, in 1886 and continued the practice of law. He was judge of the seventh judicial district of Colorado from 1889 until his resignation in 1892, having been elected to

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

. Elected as a

Populist Populism refers to a range of political stances that emphasize the idea of "the people" and often juxtapose this group against " the elite". It is frequently associated with anti-establishment and anti-political sentiment. The term develop ...

to the Fifty-third and to the four succeeding Congresses, Bell was United States Representative for the second district of Colorado from March 4, 1893 to March 3, 1903. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1902 to the Fifty-eighth Congress. He served as member of the United States

Industrial Commission {{Distinguish, Industrial Relations Commission The Industrial Commission was a United States government body in existence from 1898 to 1902. It was appointed by President William McKinley to investigate railroad pricing policy, industrial concentr ...

in 1900 and 1901. He resumed the practice of law in

; and served as judge of the

Colorado Court of Appeals The Colorado Court of Appeals (Colo. App.) is the intermediate-level appellate court for the state of Colorado. It was initially established by statute in 1891 and was reestablished in its current form in 1970 by the Colorado General Assembly ...

from 1913 to 1915, then resumed the practice of law. He served as a member of the State board of agriculture from 1931 to 1933.

Death

Bell died in

, on August 12, 1933 (age 81 years, 244 days). He is

interred Burial, also known as interment or inhumation, is a method of final disposition whereby a dead body is placed into the ground, sometimes with objects. This is usually accomplished by excavating a pit or trench, placing the deceased and objec ...

at Cedar Cemetery, Montrose, Colorado.

References

External links

Govtrack US Congress

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bell, John Calhoun 1851 births 1933 deaths People from Franklin County, Tennessee People's Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Colorado Colorado Populists Colorado state court judges Mayors of places in Colorado People from Saguache County, Colorado People from Montrose, Colorado People from Hinsdale County, Colorado Members of the United States House of Representatives from Colorado