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RUSSELL, FRANCIS, MARQUIS OF TAVISTOCK, second son of John Russell, 4th Duke of Bedford, and his second wife Lady Gertrude Leveson Gower, eldest dau. of John Leveson Gower, 1st Earl Gower (qv); b. 26 Sep 1739; adm. Jun 1749 (Hawkins'); in school list 1754; still at school 6 March 1757 (account for his board with Mrs Hawkins for three months ending that date, Woburn MSS, printed Elizabethan xxi, 261); Trinity Coll. Cambridge, adm. fellow commoner 17 Apr 1757, aged 17; MA 1759; MP (I) Armagh 1759-60; Grand Tour (Italy) 1761-2; MP Bedfordshire from 1761; member, Society of Dilettanti 1763; m. 7 Jun 1764 Lady Elizabeth Keppel, sister of George Keppel, 3rd Earl of Albemarle (qv); d. from effects of a fall from his horse when out hunting 22 Mar 1767.

RUSSELL, FRANCIS, 7TH DUKE OF BEDFORD, eldest son of John Russell, 6th Duke of Bedford (qv), and his first wife; b. 13 May 1788; adm. (G); in school lists 1801, 1803; styled Marquis of Tavistock 1802-39; Trinity Coll. Cambridge, adm. nob. 10 Feb 1807; MA 1808; MP Peterborough 14 Mar 1809-12, Bedfordshire 1812-32; a prominent member of Whig party in House of Commons; summoned to House of Lords as Baron Howland of Streatham 15 Jan 1833; succ. father as 7th Duke of Bedford 20 Oct 1839; took Whig/Liberal whip in House of Lords; Privy Councillor 6 Jul 1846; KG 26 Mar 1847; Lord Lieut., Bedfordshire, from 7 Dec 1859; Busby Trustee 1 May 1847; m. 8 Aug 1808 Lady Anna Maria Stanhope, eldest dau. of Charles Stanhope, 3rd Earl of Harrington PC GCH, Gen. in the Army; d. 14 Oct 1861.

RUSSELL, FRANCIS, eldest son of Lord William Russell (qv); b. 7 Mar 1793; adm. 21 Jan 1805; left 1810; Christ Church, Oxford, matr. 23 Oct 1810; Ensign, 2nd Foot 12 Mar 1811; Lieut., 27 Jun 1811; 7th Foot, 18 Jul 1811; Capt., 2nd Garrison Battn., and half-pay 28 Apr 1814; 57th Foot 11 Jul 1816; 52nd Foot, 2 Oct 1817; Brevet Maj. 21 Jan 1819; Maj., 12th Foot 23 Oct 1819; Brevet Lieut. -Col., 4 Oct 1821; Capt. and Lieut. -Col., 2nd Foot Guards 7 Jul 1825; served in Peninsular War and at battle of Waterloo, where he was ADC to Prince of Orange; MP Tavistock from 25 Oct 1831; d. unm. 24 Nov 1832.

RUSSELL, JOHN, 6TH DUKE OF BEDFORD, son of Francis Russell, Marquis of Tavistock (qv); b. 6 Jul 1766; adm. 21 Oct 1776; Ensign, 3rd Foot Guards 7 Mar 1783; retd. 6 Apr 1785; MP Tavistock 24 Apr 1788-90, 27 Dec 1790 – 2 Mar 1802; succ. brother as 6th Duke of Bedford 2 Mar 1802; took seat, House of Lords 9 Dec 1802; Privy Councillor 12 Feb 1806; Lord Lieut., Ireland 12 Feb 1806 – 19 Apr 1807; KG 25 Nov 1830; supporter of Whig Party both as MP and as peer; rebuilt Covent Garden market 1830; supporter of art, agriculture and natural history; member, Society of Dilettanti 1819; FSA by 1831; Busby Trustee 8 May 1806; m. 1st, 21 Mar 1786 Hon. Georgiana Elizabeth Byng, second dau. of George Byng, 4th Viscount Torrington (qv); m. 2nd, 23 Jun 1803 Lady Georgiana Gordon, fifth dau. of Alexander Gordon, 4th Duke of Gordon; d. 20 Oct 1839. DNB.

RUSSELL, JOHN, third son of Lord William Russell (qv); b. 11 Jul 1796; adm. 10 Apr 1806; left Whitsun 1808; Lieut., Royal Navy 26 Jul 1815; Cdr., 29 Jan 1822; MP Kinsale 1826-32; m. 21 Aug 1822 Sophia Coussmaker, Baroness De Clifford, sister of George Coussmaker (qv), and niece of Edward Southwell, 21st Baron De Clifford (qv); d. 27 Apr 1835.

RUSSELL, JOHN, 1ST EARL RUSSELL, third son of John Russell, 6th Duke of Bedford (qv), and his first wife; b. 18 Aug 1792; adm. 23 Sep 1803 (G); fag to his brother Lord Tavistock; kept a diary while at the School, including a list of the School for Oct 1803; left Bartholomewtide 1804; Edinburgh Univ. 1809-12; MP Tavistock 4 May 1813 – Mar 1817, 1818-20, Huntingdonshire 1820-6, Bandon Bridge 19 Dec 1826-30, Tavistock 24 Nov 1830-1, Devon 1831-2, South Devon 1832 – Apr 1835, Stroud 29 May 1835-41, City of London 1841- 30 Jul 1861; made his first speech in favour of parliamentary reform 14 Dec 1819; successfully moved repeal of the Test and Corporation Acts 26 Feb 1828; Privy Councillor 22 Nov 1830; Paymaster-Gen. of the Forces 13 Dec 1830 – Nov 1834, also member of Cabinet Jun 1831 – Nov 1834; moved first reading of Reform Bill 31 Mar 1831; introduced Reform Bill for second time 24 Jun 1831, and for third time 12 Dec 1831; advocated reform of the Irish Church 1833-4; leader of Whigs in House of Commons Apr 1835 onwards; Secretary of State for Home Affairs 18 Apr 1835 – Aug 1839; carried through the Municipal Corporations Bill, and diminished the number of offences liable to capital punishment; Secretary for War and the Colonies 30 Aug 1839 – Aug 1841; declared for total repeal of the Corn Laws in his Edinburgh Letter of 22 Nov 1845, and supported their repeal by Peel in 1846; Prime Minister and First Lord of the Treasury 6 Jul 1846 – Feb 1852; carried the bill for removing Jewish disabilities through the House of Commons 1848, and responsible for the Ecclesiastical Titles Bill of 1851; Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs in Aberdeen ministry Dec 1852 – Feb 1853, when he resigned but remained in Cabinet without office and continued to lead the House of Commons; Lord President of the Council 12 Jun 1854 – Jan 1855, resigning because of his dissatisfaction with the conduct of the Crimean War; Plenipotentiary to Vienna Congress 11 Feb 1855; Secretary of State for the Colonies 1 May – 13 Jul 1855; opposed Disraeli’s Reform Bill of 1859; Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs 18 Jun 1859 – Nov 1865; the Reform Bill introduced by him on 1 Mar 1860 was subsequently dropped; created Earl Russell 30 Jul 1861; KG 21 May 1862; Prime Minister and First Lord of the Treasury 6 Nov 1865 – 18 Jun 1866, resigning on defeat of his Government’s Reform Bill by the ‘Adullamites”; declined Cabinet office in Gladstone’s administration formed in Dec 1868; received freedom City of London 9 Jul 1831; LLD Edinburgh Univ. 8 Nov 1845; FRS 6 May 1847; Lord Rector, Aberdeen Univ., from 1863; GCMG 25 Mar 1869; Busby Trustee 2 Jun 1863; a sincere and able Whig with the courage of his opinions, and a store of constitutional and historical knowledge; although no orator, a skilful debater and creator of telling phrases; edited Letters of the Fourth Duke of Bedford, 1842-6; author, Essay on the English Constitution, and other works; m. 1st, 11 Apr 1835 Adelaide, widow of Thomas Lister, 2nd Baron Ribblesdale (qv), and half-sister of Thomas Henry Lister (qv); m. 2nd, 20 Jul 1841 Lady Frances Anna Maria Elliot, second dau. of Gilbert Elliot, 2nd Earl of Minto; d. 28 May 1878. DNB.

RUSSELL, LORD CHARLES JAMES FOX, third son of John Russell, 6th Duke of Bedford (qv), and his second wife; b. 10 Feb 1807; adm. 21 May 1818 (G); Edinburgh Univ.; page at coronation of George IV 1821; Ensign, unattached, half-pay 8 May 1823; Lieut., 2 Aug 1826; Capt., 23 Mar 1827; 52nd Foot, 31 May 1827; Maj., unattached, half-pay 11 Oct 1833; Brevet Lieut. -Col., 9 Nov 1846; retd., 21 Jan 1848; MP (Whig) Bedfordshire 1832-41, Mar-Jul 1847; Serjeant at Arms, House of Commons 1848-75; Dl Bedfordshire, JP Bedfordshire 1834; President, Marylebone Cricket Club 1835; m. 2 Apr 1834 Isabella Clarissa, dau. of William Griffith Davies, Penylan, Carmarthenshire; d. 29 Jun 1894.

RUSSELL, LORD EDWARD, second son of John Russell, 6th Duke of Bedford (qv), and his second wife; b. 24 Apr 1805; adm. 12 Jun 1816 (G); left 12 Nov 1818; entered Royal Navy 13 Jan 1819; Lieut., 18 Oct 1826; Cdr., 15 Nov 1828; Post Capt., 19 Nov 1833; Rear-Adm., 17 Oct 1856; Vice-Adm., 27 Apr 1863; Adm., 20 Mar 1867; retd., 1 Apr 1870; served at battle of Navarino 1827 and in attack on Sevastopol 17 Oct 1854; Naval ADC to Queen Victoria 1846-50; CB 5 Jul 1855; MP (Whig) Tavistock 1841-7; m. 8 Feb 1860 Mary Ann, dau. of Aaron Taylor, Kensington, Middlesex; d. 21 May 1887. DNB.

RUSSELL, LORD GEORGE WILLIAM, second son of John Russell, 6th Duke of Bedford (qv), and his first wife; b. 8 May 1790; in school list 1803; Cornet, 23rd Light Dragoons 5 Feb 1806; Lieut., 1st Dragoons 11 Sep 1806; Capt., Canadian Fencibles 25 Mar 1808; 82nd Foot, 21 Apr 1808; 23rd Light Dragoons 18 May 1808; Maj., 102nd Foot 4 Feb 1813; Brevet Lieut. -Col., 12 Apr 1814; Maj., half-pay 7 Sep 1815; Lieut. -Col., 8th Light Dragoons 28 Oct 1824; unattached, half-pay 21 Nov 1828; 90th Foot, 23 Apr 1829; unattached, half-pay 17 May 1831; Col. in Army and ADC to King William IV 23 Jul 1830; Major-Gen., 23 Nov 1841; took part in expedition to Copenhagen and served in Peninsular War, wounded at battle of Talavera; MP Bedford 1812-30; attached to Sir Robert Adair (qv)’s mission to Brussels Aug 1831 – Mar 1832; on special mission to Portugal May 1832, with local rank of Brig. -Gen. 27 May 1832; Minister Plenipotentiary at Lisbon 7 Aug 1833 – Mar 1834; Minister Plenipotentiary at Württemberg Nov 1834 – Nov 1835; Ambassador at Berlin 24 Nov 1835 – Nov 1841; GCB 19 Jul 1838; m. 21 Jun 1817 Elizabeth Anne, only child of Hon. John Theophilus Rawdon MP; d. at Genoa 16 Jul 1846. DNB.

RUSSELL, LORD JAMES, fifth son of William Russell, 1st Duke of Bedford KG KB, and Lady Anne Carr, only child of Robert Carr, 1st Earl of Somerset; b.; adm.; at school in 1659-60 (Woburn MSS, recording payment for “dyett and lodging of Mr. James Russell and Mr. George Russell for one whole year ended the 27th of January 1660”, and Busby’s Account Book); Magdalen Coll. Oxford, matr. 26 Oct 1666, aged 20; MA 4 Feb 1666/7 (incorp. Cambridge 1668); of Maidwell, Northants, and Laverstoke, Hampshire; MP Whitchurch 1685-7, 1689-1701, Tavistock 1701-3; lic. to m. 1st, 5 Jul 1682 Elizabeth, widow of Sir John Trott, Bart., and youngest dau. of Sir Edmund Knight, Kt, Lord Mayor of London; m. 2nd, 11 Aug 1698 Elizabeth, dau. of Richard Lloyd, London; d. 22 Jun 1712.