James Martin Bell

James Martin Bell (October 16, 1796 – April 4, 1849) was an American lawyer and politician who served one term as a U.S. Representative from Ohio from 1833 to 1835. A member of the Anti-Jacksonian Party, he participated in the national legislative process during a significant period in American history, representing the interests of his Ohio constituents in the Twenty-third Congress.

Bell was born on October 16, 1796, in Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania. He attended the public schools in his native state, receiving a basic formal education that prepared him for the study of law. As a young man he moved west to Ohio, part of the broader early nineteenth-century migration into the Old Northwest, and settled in Steubenville, where he undertook legal studies.

After completing his legal training in Steubenville, Bell was admitted to the bar in 1817. He commenced the practice of law in Cambridge, Ohio, in Guernsey County, which would remain the center of his professional and political life. Almost immediately he became active in local public affairs. He served as prosecuting attorney of Guernsey County from 1818 to 1832, a lengthy tenure that established his reputation as a capable lawyer and public official. In addition to his legal work, he held a commission in the state militia, serving as major general of the Fifteenth Division of the Ohio Militia, reflecting both his standing in the community and the importance of militia service in the era.

Bell’s state and local public service expanded through the 1820s. He was elected to the Ohio House of Representatives, serving as a member of the state legislature from 1826 to 1831. During this period he rose to a position of leadership, serving as Speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives in 1830 and 1831. He also held several other local offices, including service as master commissioner in 1827. In 1830 he served as a justice of the peace and as a county school examiner, roles that placed him at the center of local judicial administration and educational oversight in Guernsey County.

Building on his state legislative experience, Bell was elected as an Anti-Jacksonian to the Twenty-third Congress, serving in the U.S. House of Representatives from March 4, 1833, to March 3, 1835. As a member of the Anti-Jacksonian Party representing Ohio, he contributed to the legislative process during his single term in office, participating in the democratic process at a time marked by intense national debates over federal power, economic policy, and the legacy of Andrew Jackson’s presidency. He sought reelection in 1834 to the Twenty-fourth Congress but was unsuccessful, bringing his brief national legislative career to a close.

After leaving Congress, Bell returned to Cambridge and resumed the practice of law, continuing his involvement in civic life. He served as mayor of Cambridge from 1838 to 1840, further demonstrating the confidence his community placed in his leadership and administrative abilities. His post-congressional years were thus characterized by a combination of legal practice and local public service, maintaining his influence in regional affairs even after his national service had ended.

James Martin Bell died in Cambridge, Ohio, on April 4, 1849. He was interred in Founders’ Burial Ground in Cambridge. His career, spanning local, state, and national offices, reflected the trajectory of many early nineteenth-century American politicians who rose from frontier communities to positions of responsibility in both state government and the United States Congress.