Charles H. Bell (politician)

Charles Henry Bell (November 18, 1823 – November 11, 1893) was an American lawyer and Republican politician from Exeter, New Hampshire. Bell served New Hampshire in both the New Hampshire House of Representatives and the New Hampshire Senate, as a U.S. Senator, and as governor.

Charles Henry Bell
United States Senator from New Hampshire
In office March 13, 1879 – June 18, 1879
Preceded by	Bainbridge Wadleigh
Succeeded by	Henry W. Blair
38th Governor of New Hampshire
In office June 2, 1881 – June 7, 1883
Preceded by	Nathaniel Head
Succeeded by	Samuel W. Hale
President of the New Hampshire Senate
In office 1864–1864
Preceded by	Onslow Stearns[1]
Succeeded by	Ezekiel A. Straw[1]
Member of the New Hampshire Senate
Speaker of the New Hampshire House of Representatives
In office 1860[2] – 1860[2]
Preceded by	Napoleon B. Bryant[2]
Succeeded by	Edward A. Rollins[2]
Personal details
Born	November 18, 1823 Chester, New Hampshire
Died	November 11, 1893 (aged 69) Exeter, New Hampshire
Resting place	Exeter Cemetery
Nationality	American
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Sarah Almira Gilman, Helen A. (Williams)
Signature

Early life

Bell was born on November 18, 1823 in Chester, New Hampshire.

Family

Charles was one of the ten children of Governor John Bell. He was also the nephew of Samuel Bell, first cousin of James Bell and the first cousin, once removed of Samuel Newell Bell.

Service in the New Hampshire General Court

Bell's career in the New Hampshire General Court was notable in that he held two unique offices. In 1860 Bell was the Speaker of the New Hampshire House of Representatives.[2] and President of the New Hampshire Senate[1] in 1864.

Writings

Bell was the author of an influential early history of Exeter, New Hampshire, as well as a number of other books.[3] His first wife was Sarah Almira Gilman, daughter of Nicholas Gilman; his second wife Helen A. (Williams) daughter of Reuel Williams of Portland, ME, and widow of John Taylor Gilman of Exeter. Both wives were descendants of Edward Gilman Sr., an early Exeter settler who had previously lived in Hingham, Massachusetts, and Ipswich, Massachusetts.

Frontispiece, History of the Town of Exeter, New Hampshire, Charles H. Bell, 1888

Honors

Bell was elected a member of the American Antiquarian Society in 1868.[4]

Death and burial

Bell died in 1893 in Exeter, New Hampshire, and is buried at the Exeter Cemetery in that town.[5]

Footnotes

1. Jenks, George E. (1866), Political Journal for the State of The New Hampshire 1867, Concord, New Hampshire: McFarland and Jenks, p. 44.
2. Jenks, George E. (1866), Political Journal for the State of The New Hampshire 1867, Concord, New Hampshire: McFarland and Jenks, p. 45.
3. The New England Historical and Genealogical Register, Henry Fitz-Gilbert Waters, New England Historic and Genealogical Society, Boston, 1894
4. American Antiquarian Society Members Directory
5. "Death of Ex Gov Bell". The Boston Globe. Exeter. November 12, 1893. p. 3. Retrieved January 6, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.

External links

• Bell's Congressional biography
• Bell at New Hampshire's Division of Historic Resources
• Exeter in 1776, Charles Henry Bell, News-Letter Press, Exeter, N.H. 1876
• Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire, Charles Henry Bell, William B. Morrill, Exeter, N.H., 1883
• A Memorial of Charles Henry Bell, Exeter, N.H., Jeremiah Smith, Mellen Chamberlain, Privately Printed, 1894