BELL, Joshua Thomas (1863-1911)

politician

son of Sir Joshua Peter Bell (q.v.), was born at Ipswich, Queensland, in 1863. He was educated at Brisbane Grammar school and Cambridge university, where he became president of the union. He was admitted to the English bar, returned to Australia in 1889, and a year later became private secretary to Sir Samuel Griffith (q.v.). In 1893 he was elected to the legislative assembly for Dalby and held this seat for the rest of his life. He was elected chairman of committees in 1902 and in September 1903 joined the A. Morgan (q.v.) ministry as minister for lands. W. Kidston (q.v.) succeeded Morgan in January 1906 but Bell held his old position in the new cabinet until November 1907, and was also minister for railways from February to July of that year. He was minister for lands in the second Kidston ministry from February to October 1908, and then home secretary until 29 June 1909, when he was elected speaker. He died on 10 March 1911 after a long illness. He married in 1903 a daughter of the Hon. John Ferguson, who survived him with a son and a daughter. He was an admirable speaker and administrator whose early death was much regretted.

The Brisbane Courier, 11 March 1911; C. A. Bernays, Queensland Politics During Sixty Years.