Joseph Nicholas Bell

Who was Joseph Nicholas Bell?

Joseph Nicholas Bell was a British Labour politician and Justice of the Peace. He was elected Member of Parliament for Newcastle East in the 1922 General Election, but died a month later.

For many years Bell was General Secretary of the National Amalgamated Union of Labour.

He was first selected in 1914 as Labour candidate for Leith Burghs to contest the by-election when he came third. In 1918 he was selected for the Edinburgh seat of Leith, but was replaced later that year. He was then selected by the Labour Party to fight the Newcastle East constituency at the 1922 General Election. Already ill, he was unable to travel from London to campaign in the seat, but was elected in his absence, defeating the Coalition Liberal MP, Harry Barnes.

Bell died a month after his election, aged 58, and thus became one of only a handful of elected British MPs never to have taken their seats.

At the subsequent by-election Arthur Henderson held the seat for Labour.