Ernest Bell (activist)

Ernest Bell (8 March 1851 – 14 September 1933) was an English publisher, writer, and activist involved in a range of humanitarian and social reform movements in the United Kingdom. He is known for his advocacy of animal rights, animal welfare, vegetarianism, and anti-vivisection causes, as well as for his involvement in organisations including the Vegetarian Society, the Humanitarian League, and the League Against Cruel Sports, which he co-founded in 1925.

Bell worked for the publishing firm George Bell & Sons, established by his father, and promoted literature on ethical, dietary, and humanitarian topics. He edited several publications, including The Animals' Friend, and contributed to a range of reform-oriented journals and pamphlets. He held long-standing leadership positions in multiple animal protection societies and was recognised in 1929 with an award jointly presented by 22 animal organisations. A committed vegetarian for most of his life, Bell supported meat-free diets on both health and ethical grounds. His legacy is reflected in the Ernest Bell Library, a collection of materials established after his death to preserve his writings and related literature on social reform.