Melville Bull (September 29, 1854 – July 5, 1909) was a U.S. Representative from Rhode Island.
Early Life and Education
Born in Newport, Rhode Island, Bull attended Phillips Exeter Academy in Exeter, New Hampshire, and graduated from Harvard University in 1877. Following his education, he engaged in farming in the vicinity of Newport.
Political Career
Bull served as a member of the Rhode Island House of Representatives from 1883 to 1885, and as a Rhode Island State Senator from 1885 to 1892. He was a member of the Republican state central committee and served as a delegate to the Republican National Convention in 1888. He subsequently served as Lieutenant Governor of Rhode Island from 1892 to 1894 under Governor D. Russell Brown.
Bull was elected as a Republican to the United States House of Representatives for Rhode Island's 1st congressional district. He served in the Fifty-fourth through Fifty-seventh Congresses (March 4, 1895 – March 3, 1903). During his tenure, he served as chairman of the Committee on Accounts for the Fifty-sixth and Fifty-seventh Congresses. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1902 to the Fifty-eighth Congress.
Other Affiliations
Bull was a charter member of the Rhode Island Society of Colonial Wars in 1897.
Death and Burial
He resided in Middletown, Rhode Island, until his death on July 5, 1909, in Newport. He was interred in Island Cemetery, Newport, Rhode Island.
Sources
- United States Congress. "Melville Bull (id: B001048)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
- Who's Who in New England. Chicago: A. N. Marquis. 1909. p. 164.
- "Melville Bull". The New York Times. July 6, 1909. p. 7.
- Library of Congress Name Authority File. "Bull, Melville, 1854-1909."
