Francis Bell (New Zealand politician)
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The Right Honourable Sir Francis Henry Dillon Bell GCMG KC |
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| 20th Prime Minister of New Zealand | |
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In office 10 May 1925 – 30 May 1925 |
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| Monarch | George V |
| Governor-General | Charles Fergusson |
| Preceded by | William Massey |
| Succeeded by | Gordon Coates |
| Constituency | Wellington City |
| 11th Mayor of Wellington | |
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In office 1891–1893 |
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| Preceded by | Arthur Winton Brown |
| Succeeded by | Alfred Brandon |
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In office 1896–1897 |
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| Preceded by | George Fisher |
| Succeeded by | John Rutherford Blair |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
31 March 1851 Nelson, New Zealand (First New Zealand born Prime Minister) |
| Died | 13 March 1936 (aged 84) Wellington, New Zealand |
| Political party | Reform |
| Spouse(s) | Caroline Robinson |
| Relations |
Dillon Bell (father) Arthur Bell (brother) Brenda Bell (niece) Frank Bell (nephew) William Robinson (father-in-law) |
| Children |
Cheviot Bell William Bell |
| Religion | Anglican |
Sir Francis Henry Dillon Bell GCMG KC (31 March 1851 – 13 March 1936) was the first New Zealand-born Prime Minister of New Zealand. Bell is one of three New Zealand Prime Ministers of Jewish extraction, the others being Julius Vogel and John Key.
He was born in Nelson, the eldest son of Sir Dillon Bell. His mother was Margaret Hort (who was Jewish, but became a Christian). Arthur Bell was a younger brother. He attended Auckland Grammar School and Otago Boys' High School. At Otago Boys he was the Dux. After finishing high school, he travelled to England where he attended St John's College, Cambridge, receiving a BA in 1873. On returning to New Zealand, he began practising law in Wellington, being involved in Bell, Gully, MacKenzie and Evans.
He played two first-class cricket matches for Wellington in the 1870s before giving up cricket for politics.
He served as Crown Solicitor in Wellington from 1878 to 1890, and from 1902 to 1910. He was a prominent member of both the local and national law societies. He served as the latter's President from 1901 to 1918.
He married Caroline Robinson on 24 April 1878 at St John's Church in Christchurch. She was the third daughter of William Robinson. They had four daughters and four sons. His son William Henry Dillon Bell (1884–1917) was a Member of Parliament, but resigned and volunteered for service in World War I. He was killed in 1917. Another son Cheviot Wellington Dillon Bell was appointed to the Legislative Council as a member of the suicide squad by the First National Government on 27 July 1950 to vote for the abolition of the Council, so served to 31 December 1950. The two children of his brother Alfred, Brenda and Frank Bell, became notable radio pioneers.
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