Theodore Arlington Bell

Democrat Representative of California's 2nd district

Congresses Served

House Terms

July 25, 1872 (50 years old)

Birthday

September 4, 1922

Death

Served one term as a Congressman from California (1903-1905)
Born in Vallejo, California, and moved to St. Helena, California, in 1876
Became a teacher at 18 before studying law
Served as District Attorney of Napa County, California (1895-1903)
Married Anna Marie Muller and had one daughter, Maurine
Supported by James D. Phelan, elected to the 58th Congress
Member of the House Irrigation of Arid Lands Committee
Defeated in the 1904 election by Republican Duncan E. McKinlay
Ran for Governor of California in 1906, 1910, and 1918, losing all three times
Was a delegate to the 1908 and 1912 Democratic National Conventions
Switched to the Republican Party in 1921
Advocated for a tax increase on wines with sugar to regulate alcohol consumption without harming local vintners
Died in a car crash in Marin County, California, in 1922
Interred at Odd Fellows Cemetery in St. Helena