Alphonzo E. Bell, Jr. | |
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Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California's 27th district |
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In office January 3, 1975 – January 3, 1977 |
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Preceded by | Donald L. Jackson |
Succeeded by | Robert K. Dornan |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California's 28th district |
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In office January 3, 1963 – January 3, 1975 |
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Preceded by | James B. Utt |
Succeeded by | Yvonne B. Burke |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California's 16th district |
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In office January 3, 1961 – January 3, 1963 |
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Preceded by | Donald L. Jackson |
Succeeded by | Bernice F. Sisk |
Personal details | |
Born |
Santa Fe Springs, California, U.S. |
September 19, 1914
Died | April 25, 2004 Santa Monica, California, U.S. |
(aged 89)
Political party | Republican |
Spouse(s) | Marian McCargo |
Relations |
James George Bell (grandfather) Susan Albiah Hollenbeck Bell (grandmother) Minnewa Bell Gray Burnside Ross (sister) Elliott Roosevelt (brother-in-law) |
Children | 10 |
Parents |
Alphonzo E. Bell, Sr. Minnewa Shoemaker Bell |
Alma mater | Occidental College |
Occupation | elected official / businessman / cattleman / rancher |
Alphonzo "Al" Bell, Jr. (September 19, 1914 – April 25, 2004) was an eight-term United States Representative from California, who represented Los Angeles, California's influential Westside.
Al Bell, as he was known to his friends, was a scion of the pioneering ranching, oil, and real estate development family that gave its name to the Southern California communities of Bell, Bell Gardens, and Bel-Air. His father, Alphonzo Bell, Sr., used oil company profits to develop upscale Westside communities, including parts of Westwood, Beverly Hills, Pacific Palisades, and Bel-Air.
The younger Bell grew up on his father's estate and ranch just north of Los Angeles, a vast and sprawling acreage encompassing the areas that are now known as Bel Air and Pacific Palisades. Numbering among his closest childhood friends and frequent horseback riding companions was Will Rogers, Jr., whose famous father owned a large ranch just north of the Bell's. Bell began his education at the Webb School of California in the early 1930s. He went on to earn a degree in political science from Occidental College in 1938, and after serving in the Army Air Force during World War II (from 1942 to 1945), he joined the family oil business and served as company president from 1947 until 1959. Also a rancher and cattleman, Bell sold the oil company in 1975.