He was born at Langside in Glasgow to ship broker Captain John Wilson Fell and Jessie McKinlay Power.
He was a founding member of the Fellow of Corporation of Accountants of Australasia, and was director of Sydney Hospital from 1896 to 1900.
In 1904 Fell was elected to the New South Wales Legislative Assembly as the Liberal member for Lane Cove.
[1] He never held a ministry and retired in 1913, but he was actively involved in the formation of the Nationalist Party in 1917.
[2][3] His brother, William Scott Fell, was also a member of the New South Wales Parliament.