J. Spencer Bell

Who was J. Spencer Bell?

Jesse Spencer Bell was a United States federal judge.

Bell was born in Charlotte, North Carolina. He received a B.A. from Duke University in 1927 and an LL.B. from the University of North Carolina School of Law in 1930. He also studied at Harvard Law School. Bell was in private practice of law in Charlotte, North Carolina from 1930 to 1961, except for service during World War II in the United States Army. He was a Member of the North Carolina Senate from 1957 to 1961. In the 1950s, he chaired the Committee on Improving and Expediting the Administration of Justice in North Carolina, also known as the Bell Commission. He was a delegate to the 1960 Democratic National Convention.

Bell was a federal judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. Bell was nominated by President John F. Kennedy on September 14, 1961, to a new seat created by 75 Stat. 80; he was confirmed by the United States Senate on September 23, 1961, and received his commission on September 27, 1961. Bell served until his death at the age of 60.