Joseph Bell (Mississippi politician)

Joseph Bell (c. 1811 - March 17, 1885) was an American Democratic politician. He was the 10th Secretary of State of Mississippi, serving from December 1850 to January 1852. He also represented Winston County in both houses of the Mississippi Legislature.

Joseph Bell
10th Secretary of State of Mississippi
In office
December 1850 – January 1852
Preceded bySamuel Stamps
Succeeded byJames A. Horne
Member of the Mississippi State Senate
from the unknown district
In office
1842–1844
Member of the Mississippi House of Representatives
from the Winston County district
In office
1839–1841
Personal details
Born1810 or 1811
Tennessee, U.S.
Died (aged 74)
Jackson, Mississippi, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic

Biography

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Bell was born circa 1811 in Tennessee.[1] Bell became one of the first people to settle Winston County, Mississippi, after it was organized in December 1833.[1][2] He also was a surveyor of the county.[1] A Democrat,[1] Bell represented Winston County in the Mississippi House of Representatives from 1839 to 1841.[3][4][1] He then represented Winston and Noxubee Counties in the Mississippi State Senate from 1842 to 1844.[2][1][4][3] Bell was appointed to the office of Secretary of State of Mississippi in December 1850, after the death of Secretary of State of Mississippi Samuel Stamps.[5][3][6] For 20 days in November 1851, Bell acted as acting governor, due to the terms of all of the other executive officers in Mississippi expiring.[7][8] His term ended in January 1852, when he was succeeded by James A. Horne.[5][3] Bell was an alderman of Jackson, Mississippi, in 1858, 1860, and 1862.[1] Bell died on March 17, 1885, at his home near Jackson, Mississippi.[9][10] He was 74 years old.[10]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g Davis, Jefferson (February 1, 1975). The Papers of Jefferson Davis: June 1841--July 1846. LSU Press. pp. 118, 206. ISBN 978-0-8071-5864-7.
  2. ^ a b Polk, James Knox; Cutler, Wayne (1989). Correspondence of James K. Polk. Univ. of Tennessee Press. p. 34. ISBN 978-0-8265-1225-3.
  3. ^ a b c d Rowland, Dunbar (1917). The Official and Statistical Register of the State of Mississippi. Department of Archives and History. pp. 170, 213, 191.
  4. ^ a b Lowry, Robert; McCardle, William H. (1891). A History of Mississippi: From the Discovery of the Great River by Hernando DeSoto, Including the Earliest Settlement Made by the French Under Iberville, to the Death of Jefferson Davis. R.H. Henry & Company. p. 609. ISBN 978-0-7884-4821-8.
  5. ^ a b Mississippi (1900). Department Reports. p. 179.
  6. ^ Olsen, Christopher J. (2002). Political Culture and Secession in Mississippi: Masculinity, Honor, and the Antiparty Tradition, 1830-1860. Oxford University Press. p. 65. ISBN 978-0-19-516097-0.
  7. ^ Rowland, Dunbar (1907). Mississippi: Comprising Sketches of Counties, Towns, Events, Institutions, and Persons, Arranged in Cyclopedic Form. Southern Historical Publishing Association. pp. 812–814.
  8. ^ Sumners, Cecil L. (1998). The Governors of Mississippi. Pelican Publishing. p. 64. ISBN 978-1-4556-0521-7.
  9. ^ "The Late Gen. Jo. Bell". Vicksburg Evening Post. March 24, 1885. p. 3. Retrieved June 24, 2022.
  10. ^ a b "Clipped From The State Ledger". The State Ledger. March 20, 1885. p. 7. Retrieved February 6, 2023.