Alphonzo E. Bell, Jr.

Alphonzo "Al" Bell, Jr. (September 19, 1914 – April 25, 2004) was an eight-term United States Representative from California, who represented Los Angeles, California's influential Westside. Al Bell, as he was known to his friends, was a scion of the pioneering ranching, oil and development family that gave its name to the Southern California communities of Bell, Bell Gardens, and Bel-Air. His father, Alphonzo Bell, Sr., used oil company profits to develop upscale Westside communities, including parts of Westwood, Beverly Hills, Pacific Palisades and Bel-Air. The younger Bell grew up on his father's estate and ranch just north of Los Angeles, a vast and sprawling acreage encompassing the areas that are now known as Bel Air and Pacific...