John Bell (Tennessee politician) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids John Bell
16th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
In office June 2, 1834 – March 4, 1835
President	Andrew Jackson
Preceded by	Andrew Stevenson
Succeeded by	James K. Polk
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Tennessee's 7th district
In office March 4, 1827 – March 3, 1841
Preceded by	Sam Houston
Succeeded by	Robert L. Caruthers
16th United States Secretary of War
In office March 5, 1841 – September 13, 1841
President	William Henry Harrison John Tyler
Preceded by	Joel R. Poinsett
Succeeded by	John C. Spencer
United States Senator from Tennessee
In office November 22, 1847 – March 3, 1859
Preceded by	Spencer Jarnagin
Succeeded by	Alfred O. P. Nicholson
Personal details
Born	February 15, 1797 Nashville, Tennessee
Died	September 10, 1869 (aged 72) Dickson County, Tennessee
Political party	Democratic-Republican Democratic National Republican Whig American Constitutional Union
Spouses	Sally Dickinson Bell Jane Yeatman Bell
Alma mater	Cumberland College
Profession	Law

John Bell (February 15, 1797 – September 10, 1869) was an important U.S. politician, lawyer, and plantation owner. He was from Tennessee and served in the United States Congress. He was a member of both the House of Representatives and the Senate.

Bell started his political journey as a Democrat. However, he later disagreed with President Andrew Jackson. Because of these disagreements, he joined the Whig party. In 1860, he ran for President but lost to Abraham Lincoln. This election was very divided and helped lead to the American Civil War.

Early Life and Political Start

John Bell was born in a small town called Mill Creek, near Nashville, Tennessee. His father, Samuel Bell, was a blacksmith and farmer. John went to Cumberland University and finished his studies in 1814. After college, he studied law and became a lawyer in 1816. He built a successful law practice in Franklin.

Bell started his political career in 1817. He was elected to the Tennessee State Senate. After serving one term, he decided not to run again and moved to Nashville.

Serving in the U.S. House

In 1826, Bell was elected to the Twentieth United States Congress. He represented Tennessee's 9th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1827 to 1841.

At first, Bell strongly supported President Andrew Jackson. But they disagreed over the Bank of the United States. This was a big debate about how the country's money system should work. Because of this disagreement, Bell left the Jacksonian Democrats.

Bell served as the Speaker of the House from 1834 to 1835. The Speaker is the leader of the House of Representatives. He tried to become Speaker other times but was defeated by his rival, James K. Polk. Polk was also a Congressman from Tennessee. Bell also led the Committee on Indian Affairs and worked on the Committee on Judiciary.

John Bell

Secretary of War and Senator

After his time in the House, Bell briefly served as Secretary of War in 1841. He worked for Presidents William Henry Harrison and John Tyler. However, he resigned from this job along with other cabinet members. They were protesting President Tyler's decisions to reject some laws the Whig Party wanted.

Bell then went back to Tennessee. He invested his money in railroads and factories. He also continued to oppose James K. Polk in politics. Polk won the presidency in 1844, but Bell's efforts helped prevent Polk from winning Tennessee.

In 1847, Bell returned to politics in Tennessee. He was elected to the State House of Representatives. His party, the Whigs, then chose him to serve in the United States Senate. He was a Senator until 1859. Bell supported the Compromise of 1850, which was a series of laws about slavery. He was one of only two Southern senators to vote against the Kansas–Nebraska Act. This act allowed new territories to decide if they would allow slavery.

John Bell was married twice. First, he married Sally Dickinson. After she passed away, he married Jane Yeatman.

Running for President

In the 1850s, the Whig Party started to fall apart. John Bell became a leader for a small group of politicians. They were mostly Whigs from states that bordered the North and South. They tried to keep the Whig Party alive in a new way.

This group formed the Constitutional Union Party. Bell became their candidate for President in 1860. Many people saw this party as a last effort to save the Whig Party. It was a moderate party, meaning it tried to find a middle ground.

The 1860 Presidential election was very complicated. There were four main candidates. Abraham Lincoln of the Republican Party won the election. Bell received 39 electoral votes and about 592,906 popular votes. Lincoln was not even on the ballot in some Southern states.

Bell won the states of Virginia, Kentucky, and Tennessee. This happened partly because the Democratic votes were split between two other candidates: John C. Breckinridge (who represented the South) and Stephen A. Douglas (who represented the North). Bell received very few votes in the Northern states.

Later Life

At first, John Bell was against states leaving the Union (called secession). He even went to Washington D.C. to meet with President Lincoln. Bell was successful in helping Tennessee stay in the Union for a while.

However, after the attack on Fort Sumter in South Carolina, President Lincoln asked states to send troops. After this, Tennessee decided to secede. Bell was very sad about this and retired from politics. He was also not in good health.

He joined a group of business people who invested in saltworks and ironworks. These were factories that made salt and iron. He bought a share in the Cumberland Furnace near Charlotte, Tennessee. Sadly, most of his businesses were badly damaged or destroyed during the Civil War.

John Bell passed away in 1869 at his home. It was located near the Cumberland River, close to the Cumberland Furnace and Dover, Tennessee. He was buried in Nashville's Mt. Olivet Cemetery.

His son-in-law, Edwin Augustus Keeble, was a Congressman for the Confederate States.

Images for kids

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  A portrait of John Bell from around 1841 by Charles Fenderich.

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  A photograph of Bell taken by Julian Vannerson.

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  A photograph of Bell by Mathew Brady.

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  A campaign poster for Bell and his running mate, Everett, from the 1860 election.

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  A cartoon by Louis Maurer showing the 1860 presidential election as a baseball game. From left to right are Bell, Douglas, Breckinridge, and Lincoln.

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  A portrait of Bell painted after he passed away by Thomas Le Clear.

See also

In Spanish: John C. Bell para niños