James Finley Bell, Jr. (1915–2005) was a Democratic lawyer from

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

. He was a local judge, and was elected twice to the

Ohio Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the State of Ohio is the highest court in the U.S. state of Ohio, with final authority over interpretations of Ohio law and the Ohio Constitution. The court has seven members, a chief justice and six associate justices, ...

. He wrote the majority opinion of the court affirming the conviction of

Sam Sheppard Samuel Holmes Sheppard ( – ) was an American osteopath. He was convicted of the 1954 murder of his pregnant wife, Marilyn Reese Sheppard, but the conviction was eventually overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court, which cited a "carnival atmosp ...

in the murder of his wife, which was later overturned by the United States Supreme Court. Bell was born in

Madison County, Ohio Madison County is a county located in the central portion of the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 43,824. Its county seat is London. The county is named for James Madison, President of the United States and was e ...

on January 12, 1915, the son of James F. Bell, Sr. and Rowena Moore Bell. He graduated from

DePauw University DePauw University ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Greencastle, Indiana, United States. It was founded in 1837 as Indiana Asbury College and changed its name to DePauw University in 1884. The college has a Methodist heritage and was ...

in 1936 and from the Ohio State University Law School. He was admitted to the Ohio bar in 1939, and began a private practice in

London, Ohio London is a city in and the county seat of Madison County, Ohio, United States. Located about southwest of the Ohio capital of Columbus, Ohio, Columbus, London was established in 1811 to serve as the county seat. The population was 10,279 at t ...

. He was a special agent of the

Federal Bureau of Investigation The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...

from 1942 to 1945, then returned to private practice in London. Bell's father was judge of the Madison County Court of Common Pleas. Bell, Sr. died in 1947, and Bell, Jr. was appointed to replace him. He won the unexpired portion of his father's term in 1948, and a full six-year term in 1950. In 1954 he was elected to a six-year term on the

. He wrote the majority opinion in 1956 in ''State of Ohio vs. Sheppard'' which affirmed the guilty verdict of doctor Sam Sheppard in the murder of his wife, Marilyn. The United States Supreme Court overturned the verdict in 1965, and ordered a new trial. In 1966, a jury acquitted Sheppard. In 1960, Bell won a second six-year term on the court. He resigned effective October 8, 1962, and joined the

Columbus, Ohio Columbus (, ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Ohio, most populous city of the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 United States census, 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the List of United States ...

firm ''Power, Griffith, Jones and Bell''. In 1971, Bell and first wife, Charlotte Engard Bell, moved to

Holmes Beach, Florida Holmes Beach is a city on Anna Maria Island in Manatee County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 3,010, down from 3,836 at the 2010 census. It is part of the North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, Florida Metropoli ...

, where he was general counsel of General Telephone Company of Florida. The couple divorced, and Bell married Gloria Ingles Daubenspeck Smith. He retired from the telephone company in 1980 and formed an arbitration firm. Bell died at home in

Bradenton, Florida Bradenton ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Manatee County, Florida, Manatee County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city's population is 55,698, up from 49,546 at the 2010 census. It is a pri ...

on September 23, 2005. He and his first wife had two children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bell, James Finley Justices of the Supreme Court of Ohio 1915 births 2005 deaths Ohio Democrats People from Madison County, Ohio Federal Bureau of Investigation agents DePauw University alumni Ohio State University Moritz College of Law alumni 20th-century Ohio state court judges People from Holmes Beach, Florida People from Bradenton, Florida