Lieutenant-Colonel Andrew Hamilton Russell (1812–1900) was a

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

officer. He was appointed to the

New Zealand Legislative Council The New Zealand Legislative Council was the upper house of the General Assembly of New Zealand between 1853 and 1951. An earlier arrangement of legislative councils for the colony and provinces existed from 1841 when New Zealand became a co ...

from 1861 to 1872, and was Minister of Native Affairs (as the Minister of Māori Affairs was then called) from 1865 to 1866 in the

Stafford Stafford () is a market town and the county town of Staffordshire, in the West Midlands region of England. It lies about north of Wolverhampton, south of Stoke-on-Trent and northwest of Birmingham. The town had a population of 70,145 in t ...

Ministry. Russell was commissioned into the 22nd Foot in 1828. He was promoted Lieutenant in 1834 and

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

in 1841. In 1842 he transferred to the 58th Foot. He served in New Zealand from 1845, and as Captain of the 58th and "Superintendent, Military Roads" was responsible for construction of the

Old Porirua Road The Old Porirua Road in the 19th century was the main road north up the west coast from Wellington to Porirua in New Zealand. It ran from Kaiwarra (now Kaiwharawhara) up the Ngaio Gorge to Ngaio (then called Crofton), Khandallah, Johnsonville an ...

north from Wellington, where a steep section north of Johnsonville was known as "Russell's Folly". He was promoted Major in 1854 and retired as a

Brevet Brevet may refer to: Military * Brevet (military), higher rank that rewards merit or gallantry, but without higher pay * Brevet d'état-major, a military distinction in France and Belgium awarded to officers passing military staff college * Aircre ...

Lieutenant-Colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...

in 1859. He then settled as a farmer on Mangakuri (sheep) Station in

Hawke's Bay Hawke's Bay ( mi, Te Matau-a-Māui) is a local government region on the east coast of New Zealand's North Island. The region's name derives from Hawke Bay, which was named by Captain James Cook in honour of Admiral Edward Hawke. The region is ...

. He sold the farm and returned to England in 1874, dying there on 20 July 1900. His elder son, again named Andrew Hamilton Russell, was the father of Major-General Sir

Andrew Hamilton Russell Major General Sir Andrew Hamilton Russell (23 February 1868 – 29 November 1960) was a senior officer of the New Zealand Military Forces who served during the First World War. Born in Napier, New Zealand, Russell spent most of his youth in Engl ...

, who commanded the

New Zealand Division The New Zealand Division was an infantry division of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force raised for service in the First World War. It was formed in Egypt in early 1916 when the New Zealand and Australian Division was renamed after the detachmen ...

during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

.Russell, Major-General Sir Andrew Hamilton, K.C.B., K.C.M.G., D.S.O., etc. - 1966 Encyclopaedia of New Zealand
/ref> His younger son William Russell was a prominent politician and

Leader of the Opposition The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the largest political party not in government, typical in countries utilizing the parliamentary system form of government. The leader of the opposition is typically se ...

References

*
Biography in 1966 ''Encyclopaedia of New Zealand'' (gives his birth year as 1811)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Russell, Andrew 1812 births 1900 deaths Members of the Cabinet of New Zealand Members of the New Zealand Legislative Council British military personnel of the New Zealand Wars Cheshire Regiment officers 58th Regiment of Foot officers 19th-century New Zealand farmers 19th-century New Zealand politicians