
Robert Cook Bell
Appointed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1933 and confirmed by voice vote, Robert Cook Bell was a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota. He earned a law degree from University of Missouri School of Law in 1908. Rulings & record ↓ Sources ↓
- Lived
- 1880–1964
- Appointed by
- Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1933
- Confirmed
- by voice vote
- Education
- University of Missouri Law 1908
- Succeeded
- William Alexander Cant
- Succeeded by
- Earl Richard Larson
Federal judicial service
| Year | Court | Appointed by | Vote |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1933 | District of Minnesota succeeded William Alexander Cant | F.D. Roosevelt (D) | Voice vote |
Party letters show the appointing president’s party, not the judge’s own. A voice vote means the chamber approved aloud. No senator-by-senator tally is recorded.
Confirmation vote
Voice vote
The Senate approved this confirmation aloud, with no senator-by-senator tally recorded. Recorded roll-call votes begin in 1989.
Education
| University of Missouri School of Law | LL.B. | 1908 |
Judicial Record
In our data, Bell authored 21 published opinions for the court (1934–1959). Most cited: United States v. La Tuff Transfer Service, Inc. (27 citations).
A selective record from published opinions in the CourtListener corpus, not every ruling; most unpublished district orders are not included. Counts and rankings are objective and recomputable: how we count. We describe the record, not the judge.
Recent & notable rulings
| Year | Case | Citation | Cited |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | United States v. La Tuff Transfer Service, Inc. | 95 F. Supp. 375 | 27 |
| 1959 | Magraw v. Donovan | 177 F. Supp. 803 | 20 |
| 1954 | United States v. Ryan | 124 F. Supp. 1 | 18 |
| 1951 | De Vries v. Sig Ellingson & Co. | 100 F. Supp. 781 | 16 |
| 1946 | Northern Pac. Ry. Co. v. United States | 70 F. Supp. 836 | 12 |
| 1934 | In Re Burntside Lodge | 7 F. Supp. 785 | 12 |
| 1953 | Youghiogheny & Ohio Coal Co. v. Employers' Liability Assur. Corp. | 114 F. Supp. 472 | 11 |
| 1945 | Cole v. Chicago, St. P., M. & O. Ry. Co. | 59 F. Supp. 443 | 11 |
| 1953 | United States v. 38 DOZEN BOTTLES, ETC. | 114 F. Supp. 461 | 7 |
| 1948 | Fogarty v. United States | 80 F. Supp. 90 | 7 |
| 1943 | In Re Taran | 52 F. Supp. 535 | 7 |
| 1954 | United States v. Gredzens | 125 F. Supp. 867 | 6 |
| 1947 | Porter v. Fleming | 74 F. Supp. 378 | 6 |
| 1942 | St. Paul Fire & Marine Insurance v. Reynolds | 44 F. Supp. 863 | 6 |
| 1947 | In Re Inland Waterways, Inc. | 71 F. Supp. 134 | 5 |
Showing the 15 most-cited of 21 authored opinions in our data. “Cited” is inbound citations across the CourtListener corpus. Case links open the ruling’s full text (CourtListener) or its page here; read the methodology and verify against the primary source.
Questions & answers
- Who appointed Robert Cook Bell?
- President Franklin D. Roosevelt appointed Robert Cook Bell to the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota in 1933.
- Was Robert Cook Bell appointed by a Democrat or a Republican?
- Robert Cook Bell was appointed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, a Democrat. JudicialFinder records the appointing president's party, not a judge's own politics.
- What was Robert Cook Bell's confirmation vote?
- Robert Cook Bell was confirmed by voice vote on June 10, 1933. No senator-by-senator tally was recorded.
- Which court was Robert Cook Bell on?
- Robert Cook Bell was a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota.
Sources
Each fact on this page traces to a primary public record.
- FJC Biographical Directory
- Wikidata
- Portrait: unknown, published in Minnesota: The land of sky-tinted waters (Public domain), via Wikimedia Commons
- CourtListener bulk data (Free Law Project): authored opinions & citation counts
How we source & reconcile data → Data & Sources
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30 years on the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota. Data as of 2026-08-10. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).