Charles W. Bell

For other people named Charles Bell, see Charles Bell (disambiguation).

Charles W. Bell
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from California's 9th district
In office
March 4, 1913 – March 3, 1915
Preceded byDistrict Created
Succeeded byCharles H. Randall
Member of the California Senate
from the 36th district
In office
January 7, 1907 – January 6, 1913
Preceded byBenjamin W. Hahn
Succeeded byWilliam J. Carr
Majority Leader of the California State Senate
In office
1911
Personal details
BornCharles Webster Bell
June 11, 1857
Albany, New York
DiedApril 19, 1927(1927-04-19) (aged 69)
Pasadena, California
Resting placeMountain View Cemetery

Charles Webster Bell (June 11, 1857 – April 19, 1927) was an American politician who served one term as a U.S. Representative from California from 1913 to 1915.

Biography

Born in Albany, New York, Bell attended public schools. He moved to California in 1877 and settled in Pasadena, Los Angeles County,[1] where he engaged in fruit growing and the real estate business. Bell was member of the Pasadena Republican Club. Moreover, he also served as a county clerk of Los Angeles County from 1899 to 1903.[2][3]

State Senate

He was also a member of the state Senate from 1907 to 1913. It was said that he was an independent man, not subject to partisanship, which led to the formation of the Lincoln Roosevelt republican league, and a big defeat for the partisans.[1] In 1911 he was the Majority Leader in the California State Senate. Bell authored SCA 8 in 1911, which gave women the right to vote in California,[4] and authored a bill that abolished racetrack gambling and caused the banishment of horse racing.[1] Bell was against anti-Japanese sentiment, but also for local control of the law.[5]

Congress

Bell was elected as a Progressive Republican to the Sixty-third Congress (March 4, 1913 – March 3, 1915).[6] The three way contest showed him getting 22,951 votes, while opponent Thomas H. Kirk (Democrat) received 11,703, and Ralph L. Criswell (Socialist) received 9,192.[7] He pledged to work for the protective tariff for citrus fruits and sugar beets. However, he lost his re-election campaign to Charles Hiram Randall of the Prohibition Party.[8] Bell ran unsuccessfully a second time against Randall as an independent in 1916.[9][10]

Later career

After the end of his political services, Bell resumed his former business pursuits in Pasadena, California and became secretary of the Pasadena Mercantile Finance Corporation.

Personal life

Bell was a married man[11] with a son born in 1894.[12]

Death and burial

On April 19, 1927, Bell died in Pasadena, California. Bell is interred in Mountain View Cemetery.[13]

Electoral history

United States House of Representatives elections, 1912
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Charles W. Bell 28,845 47.2
Democratic Thomas H. Kirk 14,571 23.9
Socialist Ralph L. Criswell 11,123 18.2
Prohibition George S. Yarnall 6,510 10.7
Total votes 61,049 100.0
Turnout  
Republican win (new seat)
United States House of Representatives elections, 1914
Party Candidate Votes %
Prohibition Charles Hiram Randall 28,097 30.9
Progressive Charles W. Bell (incumbent) 27,560 30.3
Republican Frank C. Roberts 25,176 27.7
Socialist Henry A. Hart 10,084 11.1
Total votes 90,917 100.0
Turnout  
Prohibition gain from Republican
United States House of Representatives elections, 1916
Party Candidate Votes %
Prohibition Charles Hiram Randall (Incumbent) 58,826 57.8
Independent Charles W. Bell 33,270 32.7
Socialist Ralph L. Criswell 9,661 9.5
Total votes 101,757 100.0
Turnout  
Prohibition hold

References

  1. ^ a b c "Pictures of Pasadenans - Charles W. Bell Who Rang out Bosses". Pasadena Star News. June 10, 1915.
  2. ^ "They Would Wear Ermine". Los Angeles Evenine Post-Record. June 7, 1900.
  3. ^ "Office of County Clerk". Topics. August 20, 1898.
  4. ^ Charles W. Bell Republican
  5. ^ "Legislature is Not Scared, Says Bell". January 28, 1911.
  6. ^ "C. W. Bell Pledges Work for Progress". Pasadena Star. November 6, 1912.
  7. ^ "Bell Beats Both Opponents' Vote". Pasadena Star. November 9, 1912.
  8. ^ "Official Lead of Randall is 537". November 18, 1914.
  9. ^ "Return to Congress, 9th District". Monrovia Daily News. October 11, 1916.
  10. ^ "Mr. Bell's Challenge". October 11, 1916.
  11. ^ "Mrs. Charles W. Bell". Pasadena Star. May 4, 1911.
  12. ^ "Boy is Seriously Injured in a Collision". Pasadena Star. November 3, 1911.
  13. ^ "Charles W. Bell, U.S. Congress". geni.com. November 24, 2018. Retrieved December 24, 2020.

Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Federal government of the United States.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.