John Howatt Bell was born 13 December 1846 in Cape Traverse, Prince Edward Island to Walter Bell and Elizabeth Howatt. On 7 July 1882, he married Helen Howatt, daughter of Cornelius Howatt.

John Bell attended Prince of Wales College in Charlottetown and later Albert College in Belleville, Ontario from which he graduated in 1869 with a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees. He then went to Toronto to study law. Bell was called to the Ontario bar in 1874 and set up practice in Ottawa for eight years. In 1882, Bell headed to western Canada when he set up a law practice in Emerson, Manitoba. Following his return to PEI in 1884, Bell established a practice in Summerside where he remained until his death.

In 1887, Bell began his political career when he ran as a Liberal candidate for fourth Prince and won. In 1905 he entered the federal arena and became a Member of Parliament for Prince County. John was chosen as leader of the provincial Liberal Opposition in 1915 and became premier in the general election of 1919.

During his term in office, the Liberal government adopted a Highway Improvement Policy, the first of its kind in the history of the province. In order to carry out the new policy, the Bell government had to pass a tax that made him and his government very unpopular among Islanders. It was also during Bell