Charles Wells Russell (July 22, 1818 – November 22, 1867) was a prominent Virginia lawyer and politician. He supported the

Confederate States of America The Confederate States of America (CSA), commonly referred to as the Confederate States or the Confederacy was an unrecognized breakaway republic in the Southern United States that existed from February 8, 1861, to May 9, 1865. The Confeder ...

during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

, serving as one of Virginia's delegates to the

Provisional Confederate Congress The Provisional Congress of the Confederate States, also known as the Provisional Congress of the Confederate States of America, was a congress of deputies and delegates called together from the Southern States which became the governing body ...

and then the

First First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...

and

Second Confederate Congress The 2nd Confederate States Congress, consisting of the Confederate States Senate and the Confederate States House of Representatives, met from May 2, 1864, to March 18, 1865, during the last year of Jefferson Davis's presidency, at the Virginia S ...

es, although his home area seceded from the Commonwealth and became

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the Bur ...

during that war.

Early and family life

Born in Tyler County, Virginia (now

Tyler County, West Virginia Tyler County is a county in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 8,313. Its county seat is Middlebourne. The county was founded in 1814 and is named after John Tyler, Sr., father of President John Tyler. ...

), which his grandfather helped found. He was educated at the Linsly Institute and then went to

Canonsburg, Pennsylvania Canonsburg is a Borough (Pennsylvania), borough in Washington County, Pennsylvania, southwest of Pittsburgh. Canonsburg was laid out by Colonel John Canon in 1789 and incorporated in 1802. The population was 9,735 at the 2020 census. The town li ...

, graduating from Jefferson College. He read law under Z. Jacob in Wheeling and passed his bar exam. Charles married Margaret Wilson Moore in 1842; and in 1850 they lived with iron manufacturer Henry Moore in Wheeling (Third Ward). They had two (perhaps three?, Edward Oldham Russell) sons, Henry Moore Russell (1851-1915) and

Charles Wells Russell Jr. Charles Wells Russell Jr. (1856 – 1927) was an American diplomat. Biography Russell was born in 1856 to prominent politician and lawyer Charles Wells Russell Sr. Originally, Russell worked as an attorney for the Department of Justice (DOJ) ...

(1856-1927) (U.S. diplomat, 1909-1914).

Career

Russell became a prominent lawyer in Wheeling, which was then Virginia's second largest city. With U.S. Attorney General

Reverdy Johnson Reverdy Johnson (May 21, 1796February 10, 1876) was a statesman and jurist from Maryland. He gained fame as a defense attorney, defending notables such as Sandford of the Dred Scott case, Maj. Gen. Fitz John Porter at his court-martial, and Mary S ...

(who was acting in a private capacity) and other Virginia lawyers including James Paull and

Alexander H. H. Stuart Alexander Hugh Holmes Stuart (April 2, 1807 – February 13, 1891) was a prominent Virginia lawyer and American political figure associated with several political parties. Stuart served in both houses of the Virginia General Assembly (1836-1 ...

, Russell defended the Wheeling and Belmont Bridge Company in litigation brought by

Edwin M. Stanton Edwin McMasters Stanton (December 19, 1814December 24, 1869) was an American lawyer and politician who served as U.S. Secretary of War under the Lincoln Administration during most of the American Civil War. Stanton's management helped organize t ...

and

Robert J. Walker Robert John Walker (July 19, 1801November 11, 1869) was an American lawyer, economist and politician. An active member of the Democratic Party, he served as a member of the U.S. Senate from Mississippi from 1835 until 1845, as Secretary of the ...

following construction of the

Wheeling Suspension Bridge The Wheeling Suspension Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the main channel of the Ohio River at Wheeling, West Virginia. It was the largest suspension bridge in the world from 1849 until 1851. Charles Ellet Jr. (who also worked on the Niag ...

across the

Ohio River The Ohio River is a long river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing southwesterly from western Pennsylvania to its mouth on the Mississippi River at the southern tip of Illino ...

beginning in 1849. Although the company twice technically lost in the

United States Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...

in the lawsuit brought by upriver rivals in

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

, Russell's legislative advocacy also proved crucial. The longest single span wire suspension bridge to cross a major Western river (and the longest in the world at the time) was never demolished, and was even rebuilt after damage in an May,1854 windstorm (probable tornado). In 1850, Ohio County voters elected Russell to the

Virginia House of Delegates The Virginia House of Delegates is one of the two parts of the Virginia General Assembly, the other being the Senate of Virginia. It has 100 members elected for terms of two years; unlike most states, these elections take place during odd-numbe ...

. He was at first their only delegate (a part-time position) but after The Virginia Constitution of 1851 increased representation for western counties, he served alongside Chester D. Hubbard and John M. Oldham. However, in 1853, Ohio County voters instead elected

John C. Campbell John Charles Campbell (14 September 1867 – 1919) was an American educator and reformer noted for his survey of social conditions in the southern Appalachian region of the United States during the early 1900s. He served a term as president o ...

and Thomas M. Gally (who would in turn be ousted by James Paull, John Brady and T.L. Crammer). Russell was an elector in the 1860 presidential election supporting Democratic candidate

John C. Breckinridge John Cabell Breckinridge (January 16, 1821 – May 17, 1875) was an American lawyer, politician, and soldier. He represented Kentucky in both houses of Congress and became the 14th and youngest-ever vice president of the United States. Serving ...

. After Virginia's secession in mid-1861, West Virginia voters who refused to remain loyal to the Union (generally volunteers in Confederate camps) elected Russell to the

where he served from July 1861 until February 1862), and then to the

First Confederate Congress The 1st Confederate States Congress, consisting of the Confederate States Senate and the Confederate States House of Representatives, met from February 18, 1862, to February 17, 1864, during the first two years of Jefferson Davis's presidency, a ...

and the

, where he served from February 1862 until March 1865. His former co-counsel James Paull and co-delegate Chester D. Hubbard remained loyal to the Union and helped found West Virginia.

Death and legacy

Russell died on November 22,1867 and was buried in Baltimore's Woodlawn cemetery. His son Charles Wells Russell (1856-1927) became a

U.S. Assistant Attorney General Many of the divisions and offices of the United States Department of Justice are headed by an assistant attorney general. The president of the United States appoints individuals to the position of assistant attorney general with the advice and ...

and U.S. Minister to Persia.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Russell, Charles Wells Members of the Confederate House of Representatives from Virginia 19th-century American politicians Deputies and delegates to the Provisional Congress of the Confederate States People from Tyler County, West Virginia People of Virginia in the American Civil War Virginia lawyers Members of the Virginia House of Delegates People of West Virginia in the American Civil War 1867 deaths 1818 births Lawyers from Wheeling, West Virginia 19th-century American lawyers Politicians from Wheeling, West Virginia