James M. Bell

James M. Bell (March 28, 1878 – August 3, 1953) was an American politician from Iowa.

James M. Bell was born in New Boston, Illinois on March 28, 1878, to parents Vashti Willets Bell and Omer H. Bell. For a time, Bell's family lived in Chicago, where James worked for Marshall Field. They later moved to Burlington, Iowa. Bell enlisted in the Iowa National Guard at the age of fifteen. Bell was later employed by the Borden Milk Company for sixteen years, and subsequently sold insurance. He was elected to the Iowa Senate in 1934, and represented District 9. During his single term as a state senator, Bell unsuccessfully campaigned for the Democratic nomination in Iowa's 1st congressional district in 1936 and 1938. He died on August 3, 1953.