Robert Bell (1823 – February 25, 1873)[1] was a surveyor, journalist and political figure in Canada West.
He was born in Ireland in 1821 and arrived in New York state with his parents.
In 1849, he purchased the Bytown Packet newspaper (renamed the Ottawa Citizen in 1851) from Henry J. Friel and John George Bell.
In it Bell expounded his ideas for promoting the settlement of the waste lands between Bytown and Lake Huron.
He served on the town council for Bytown and later represented Russell in the 7th and 8th Parliaments for the Province of Canada.