# Thomas Miller Bell

Thomas Miller Bell (January 11, 1923 – November 12, 1996) was a Canadian politician, lawyer and barrister. He was elected to the House of Commons of Canada as a Member of the Progressive Conservative Party to represent the riding of St. John—Albert in 1953. He became Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Trade and Commerce in 1957. This position was succeeded by Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada for which he served three terms. He became the Chief Opposition Whip in 1968 until 1973 followed by Opposition House Leader of the Progressive Conservatives. He was also a member of the Standing Joint Committee on the Parliamentary Restaurant for two terms. He was defeated in 1974, after serving two terms for Saint John—Lancaster.
Bell was born in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada. Prior to his federal political experience, he served in the Merchant Navy during World War II. His grandfather, Thomas Bell, also was a Member of Parliament.

## Electoral history

vte1965 Canadian federal election: Saint John—Rothesay :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Progressive Conservative | Tom Bell | 21,909 | 51.4 | -0.3 |
| | Liberal | Arthur Whelly | 15,609 | 36.6 | -3.3 |
| | New Democratic | Eldon Richardson | 5,081 | 11.9 | +7.4 |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 42,599 | 100.0 |
vte1963 Canadian federal election: Saint John—Rothesay :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Progressive Conservative | Tom Bell | 21,584 | 51.7 | -0.1 |
| | Liberal | Arthur Whelly | 16,669 | 39.9 | +1.4 |
| | New Democratic | John Simonds | 1,869 | 4.5 | -1.6 |
| | Social Credit | Paul Sherwood | 1,606 | 3.8 | +0.1 |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 41,728 | 100.0 |
vte1962 Canadian federal election: Saint John—Rothesay :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Progressive Conservative | Tom Bell | 22,586 | 51.8 | -12.1 |
| | Liberal | George Urquhart | 16,790 | 38.5 | +5.6 |
| | New Democratic | Eldon Richardson | 2,641 | 6.1 | +2.8 |
| | Social Credit | Harvey Lainson | 1,608 | 3.7 | +3.7 |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 43,625 | 100.0 |
vte1958 Canadian federal election: Saint John—Rothesay :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Progressive Conservative | Tom Bell | 21,983 | 63.9 | +10.3 |
| | Liberal | George McLeod | 13,917 | 32.9 | -13.5 |
| | Co-operative Commonwealth | Eldon Richardson | 1,394 | 3.3 | +3.3 |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 37,294 | 100.0 |
vte1957 Canadian federal election: Saint John—Rothesay :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Progressive Conservative | Tom Bell | 21,983 | 53.6 | +4.1 |
| | Liberal | Daniel Riley | 19,047 | 46.4 | -1.7 |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 41,030 | 100.0 |
vte1953 Canadian federal election: Saint John—Rothesay :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Progressive Conservative | Tom Bell | 18,881 | 49.5 | +4.8 |
| | Liberal | Daniel Riley | 18,338 | 48.1 | -0.8 |
| | Co-operative Commonwealth | Raymond McAfee | 933 | 2.4 | -4.0 |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 38,152 | 100.0 |
vte1974 Canadian federal election: Saint John—Rothesay :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Mike Landers | 12,860 | 46.1 | +3.9 |
| | Progressive Conservative | Tom Bell | 11,419 | 41.0 | -12.9 |
| | New Democratic | Eldon Richardson | 3,457 | 12.4 | +9.9 |
| | Marxist–Leninist | Jay Baxter | 118 | 0.4 | +0.4 |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 27,854 | 100.0 |
vte1972 Canadian federal election: Saint John—Rothesay :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Progressive Conservative | Tom Bell | 16,350 | 53.9 | +0.9 |
| | Liberal | William Ryan | 12,783 | 42.2 | +1.2 |
| | New Democratic | Joseph Drummond | 788 | 2.5 | -2.6 |
| | Social Credit | Tom Enright | 394 | 1.3 | +1.3 |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 30,315 | 100.0 |
vte1968 Canadian federal election: Saint John—Rothesay :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Progressive Conservative | Tom Bell | 15,756 | 53.0 | +1.6 |
| | Liberal | William Ryan | 12,160 | 41.0 | +4.4 |
| | New Democratic | Eldon Richardson | 1,508 | 5.1 | -6.8 |
| | Independent | Mildred Crawford | 268 | 0.9 | +0.9 |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 29,692 | 100.0 |