James Bell

Opposition Senator of New Hampshire

Congresses Served

Senate Terms

January 1, 1804 (53 years old)

Birthday

January 1, 1857

Death

Graduated from Bowdoin College in 1822 and studied law at Litchfield Law School.
Admitted to the bar in 1825 and began practicing law in Gilmanton, New Hampshire.
Practiced law in Exeter, New Hampshire from 1831 to 1846.
Served in the New Hampshire House of Representatives from 1846 to 1850.
Was a delegate to the State constitutional convention in 1850.
Ran unsuccessfully for Governor of New Hampshire in 1854 and 1855.
Elected as a Republican to the United States Senate in July 1855, serving until his death in 1857.
Died in Laconia, New Hampshire, and is interred at Exeter Cemetery in Exeter, New Hampshire. A cenotaph in his honor is located at the Congressional Cemetery in Washington, D.C.
Was the son of Samuel Bell and Mehitable Dana Bell, making him part of a politically involved family.
Married Judith A. Upham in 1831, with whom he had five children.
Was the uncle of Samuel Newell Bell and the cousin of Charles Henry Bell.