Peter Hansborough Bell
| Peter Hansborough Bell | |
|---|---|
 |
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| 3rd Governor of Texas | |
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In office December 21, 1849 – November 23, 1853 |
|
| Lieutenant |
John Alexander Greer James W. Henderson |
| Preceded by | George T. Wood |
| Succeeded by | James W. Henderson |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas's 2nd district |
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In office March 4, 1853 – March 3, 1857 |
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| Preceded by | Volney E. Howard |
| Succeeded by | Andrew J. Hamilton |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
May 11, 1810 Culpeper County, Virginia |
| Died | March 8, 1898 (aged 87) Littleton, North Carolina |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Ella Rives Eaton |
| Profession | Politician |
Peter Hansborough Bell (May 11, 1810 – March 8, 1898) was an American military officer and politician who served as the third Governor of Texas and represented the state for two terms in the United States House of Representatives.
Bell was born March 11, 1810 in Culpeper County, Virginia. He was educated in Virginia and Maryland before emigrating to Texas.
By March 1836, Bell was a member of the Texian Army under Sam Houston and was present at the Battle of San Jacinto. His military service was distinguished and General Houston appointed him to the general's staff as adjutant general. By 1839 Bell had been promoted to Inspector General for the Republic of Texas' army.
In 1845 Bell was named a captain of the Texas Rangers. Given command of the Corpus Christi district, he protected the primary trade route between Texas and Mexico from outlaws. With the outbreak of the Mexican-American war, Bell became a lieutenant colonel in the Second Regiment Texas Mounted Volunteers. His actions during the Battle of Buena Vista were particularly distinguished. Following the war he returned to the Rangers and served along the western frontier.
During the 1849 Texas gubernatorial election, Bell ran on a platform advocating strong frontier defense and support of Texas's territorial claim to New Mexico. To this end he called for additional resources to eradicate the Native Americans population and sending troops to Santa Fe in support of Texas' claim to Santa Fe County. This platform allowed him to defeat incumbent Governor George T. Wood by a vote of 10,319 to 8,754.
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