[1] In August 1862, during the American Civil War, he enlisted and was mustered in as a sergeant in Company G., 128th New York Infantry Regiment.
After the war, he returned to Columbia County, where he studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1867.
In 1892, he was elected to the New York State Assembly as a Republican, representing Columbia County.
While in the Assembly, he introduced bills that appropriated $75,000 to construct additional buildings for the House of Refuge for Women in Hudson, dealt with bonded indebtedness in Mount Lebanon, regulated the compensation of town supervisors in Columbia County, amended the General Municipal Law, authorized Hudson to borrow money to build school buildings, revised Hudson's city charter, and made the County Clerk of Hudson County a salaried office.
[3] Bell was a Master of his local Freemason lodge and a member of the Grand Army of the Republic.