Gov. Samuel Bell

About

SAMUEL BELL, the fourteenth governor of New Hampshire, was born in Londonberry, New Hampshire on February 9, 1770. His education was attained at Dartmouth College, where he graduated in 1793. He studied law, and then established his legal career in Francestown, New Hampshire. Bell first entered politics as a member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives, a position he held from 1804 to 1807 and from which he also served as speaker from 1805 to 1807. From 1807 to 1809 he was a member and president of the New Hampshire State Senate, and from 1809 to 1811 he served on the Executive Council. Bell also was a Dartmouth College trustee from 1808 to 1811, and served on the New Hampshire superior court bench from 1816 to 1819. He next secured the Democratic-Republican gubernatorial nomination, and was elected governor by a popular vote in 1819. He won reelection in 1820, 1821, and 1822. During his tenure, the state’s crime rate was reduced; industrial developments were promoted and advanced; and the abolishment of the Toleration Act was endorsed. After completing his term, Bell was elected to the U.S. Senate, where he served from 1823 to 1835. Governor Samuel Bell passed away on December 23, 1850, and was buried in the Village Cemetery in Chester, New Hampshire.

Source

Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress

New Hampshire Division of Historical Resources

Sobel, Robert, and John Raimo, eds. Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States, 1789-1978, Vol. 3, Westport, Conn.; Meckler Books, 1978. 4 vols.

• Brother of New Hampshire  Governor John Bell
• Nephew of New Hampshire  Governor Charles Henry Bell