John Howatt Bell (13 December 1846 – 29 January 1929) was a lawyer and

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

who served as the 14th

premier of Prince Edward Island The premier of Prince Edward Island is the first minister and head of government for the Canadian province of Prince Edward Island. The current premier of Prince Edward Island is Rob Lantz, from the Progressive Conservative Party. See also ...

. Bell was born in Cape Traverse, the son of Walter Bell and Elizabeth Howatt. He was educated at

Prince of Wales College Prince of Wales College (PWC) is a former university college, which was located in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada. PWC merged with St. Dunstan's University in 1969 to form the University of Prince Edward Island. PWC traces its hi ...

and at Albert College in Belleville. After studying law, he was called to the Ontario bar in 1874 and set up practice in

Ottawa, Ontario Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

. He moved to

Manitoba Manitoba is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population ...

, was

called to the bar The call to the bar is a legal term of art in most common law jurisdictions where persons must be qualified to be allowed to argue in court on behalf of another party and are then said to have been "called to the bar" or to have received "call to ...

there and set up practice in Emerson. In 1882, he married his first cousin, Helen, the daughter of Cornelius Howatt. He returned to Prince Edward Island, was called to the bar, and set up practice in Summerside. Bell entered politics in 1886 when he was elected to the province's legislative assembly as a Liberal. In 1898 he won a

seat A seat is a place to sit. The term may encompass additional features, such as back, armrest, head restraint but may also refer to concentrations of power in a wider sense (i.e " seat (legal entity)"). See disambiguation. Types of seat The ...

in the

House of Commons of Canada The House of Commons of Canada () is the lower house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Monarchy of Canada#Parliament (King-in-Parliament), Crown and the Senate of Canada, they comprise the Bicameralism, bicameral legislature of Ca ...

as a supporter of the federal Liberals under Sir

Wilfrid Laurier Sir Henri Charles Wilfrid Laurier (November 20, 1841 – February 17, 1919) was a Canadian lawyer, statesman, and Liberal politician who served as the seventh prime minister of Canada from 1896 to 1911. The first French Canadians, French ...

. He lost his seat in 1900 but returned to the provincial assembly in 1915 when he was chosen to lead the Liberal Party and became

leader of the opposition The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the Opposition (parliamentary), largest political party not in government, typical in countries utilizing the parliamentary system form of government. The leader of the ...

. After Bell led the Liberals to power in 1919, he became

Premier Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier. A premier will normally be a head of govern ...

. His government extended the province's road system and adopted a highway improvement policy funded by a tax that contributed to the government's unpopularity. His administration also extended the voting franchise to women in 1922. Bell's government was ridden with disputes within his cabinet, which harmed the party's unity and popularity and led to his government's electoral defeat in 1923 after a single term in office. Bell retired from politics and died six years later in a car accident in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

External links

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Premiers Gallery, Prince Edward Island
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bell, John Howatt 1846 births 1929 deaths Politicians from Prince County, Prince Edward Island Canadian Presbyterians Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Prince Edward Island Liberal Party of Canada MPs Premiers of Prince Edward Island Prince Edward Island Liberal Party MLAs Road incident deaths in California Prince Edward Island Liberal Party leaders Prince of Wales College alumni 19th-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island 20th-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island 19th-century members of the House of Commons of Canada