Alphonzo Bell
| Alphonzo Bell | |
|---|---|
| Born |
September 29, 1875 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Died | December 27, 1947 (aged 72) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Alma mater |
San Enselmo Presbyterian College Occidental College |
| Occupation | real estate developer, philanthropist, champion tennis player |
| Spouse(s) | Minnewa Shoemaker Bell |
| Children |
Alphonzo E. Bell, Jr. Minnewa Bell Gray Burnside Ross |
| Parent(s) | Susan Albiah Hollenbeck Bell James George Bell |
| Relatives |
John Edward Hollenbeck (uncle) Elliott Roosevelt (son-in-law) Marian McCargo (daughter-in-law) |
| Olympic medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men's Tennis | ||
 |
1904 St. Louis | Doubles |
 |
1904 St. Louis | Singles |
Alphonzo Edward Bell Sr. (September 29, 1875 – December 27, 1947) was an American oil multi-millionaire, real estate developer, philanthropist, and champion tennis player. The westside Los Angeles residential community of Bel Air is named after him, as well as the Southern California communities of Bell and Bell Gardens.
Bell was a native and lifelong resident of Los Angeles, whose family had deep financial and historical ties to the area, and played a key role in the history and development of Southern California. He was the son of James George Bell, who established Bell Station Ranch (now the site of the City of Bell), in the Santa Fe Springs area in 1875, and of Susan Albiah Hollenbeck. His uncle, Ed Hollenbeck, who arrived in California in the 1850s, founded the First National Bank, created Los Angeles's public transportation trolley system, and developed eastern portions of Los Angeles County.
After attending San Enselmo Presbyterian College for two years, Bell enrolled at Occidental College, which had been founded by his father in 1887, and graduated at the top of his class as valedictorian in 1895. In 1902 he married Minnewa Shoemaker Bell, a native of Kansas.
Bell's son, Alphonzo E. Bell, Jr., later served eight terms as a California Congressman. Bell's daughter, Minnewa Bell Gray Burnside Ross, married Elliott Roosevelt, son of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, in 1951.
While in college the senior Bell was Inter-Collegiate Tennis Champion, and later Pacific Coast Tennis Champion, who at one time earned national rankings of fifth in singles and eighth in doubles. Known for his "net-rusher" style, Bell went on to win two medals in tennis at the 1904 Summer Olympics in St. Louis – a bronze in the men's singles event, and a silver in the men's doubles tournament, partnering with Robert LeRoy.
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