Elliott Valance Bell (September 25, 1902 - January 11, 1983) was a

financial Finance refers to monetary resources and to the study and Academic discipline, discipline of money, currency, assets and Liability (financial accounting), liabilities. As a subject of study, is a field of Business administration, Business Admin ...

writer for ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' who managed the two successful gubernatorial campaigns for his friend, Governor Thomas E. Dewey. He was appointed Superintendent of Banks for the State of New York in 1943 and was also editor and publisher of ''

BusinessWeek ''Bloomberg Businessweek'', previously known as ''BusinessWeek'' (and before that ''Business Week'' and ''The Business Week''), is an American monthly business magazine published 12 times a year. The magazine debuted in New York City in Septembe ...

''.

Biography

A native of

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, Bell attended

DeWitt Clinton High School DeWitt Clinton High School is a public high school located since 1929 in the Bronx borough of New York City. Opened in 1897 in Lower Manhattan as an all-boys school, it maintained that status for 86 years before becoming co-ed in 1983. From i ...

, graduated from Columbia College in 1925, where he was the president of the Philolexian Society and captain of the fencing team. He started his career as a financial writer at ''

The New York Herald Tribune The ''New York Herald Tribune'' was a newspaper published between 1924 and 1966. It was created in 1924 when Ogden Mills Reid of the ''New York Tribune'' acquired the ''New York Herald''. It was regarded as a "writer's newspaper" and competed ...

'' in 1929 before moving to ''

,'' where he wrote on finance and banking and served on the paper's editorial board in 1941 and 1942. In 1943, he was appointed Superintendent of Banking by his close friend, New York governor Thomas E. Dewey and served in that position until 1949. As superintendent of banks, he opposed big government spending and excessive regulation. Bell was a founding member of the New York Financial Writers' Association, which was founded June 15, 1938. He served as the first president of the association. In 1950, he also became the chairman of the executive committee of McGraw-Hill, Inc. He served as a trustee of

Vassar College Vassar College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. Founded in 1861 by Matthew Vassar, it was the second degree-granting institution of higher education for women in the United States. The college be ...

and was a director of Chase Manhattan Bank, the

New York Life Insurance Company New York Life Insurance Company (NYLIC) is the third-largest life insurance company and the largest mutual insurance, mutual life insurance company in the United States, and is ranked #69 on the 2025 Fortune 500 list of the largest U.S. corporat ...

, and the New York Telephone Company. Bell retired from BusinessWeek in 1967. On January 11, 1983, Bell died at his home in Quaker Hill, Pawling, N.Y. at age 80.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bell, Elliott V. 1902 births 1983 deaths American financial writers 20th-century American non-fiction writers Columbia College (New York) alumni DeWitt Clinton High School alumni The New York Times journalists American magazine publishers (people)