John Russell, 6th Duke of Bedford, (6 July 1766 – 20 October 1839), known as Lord John Russell until 1802, was a British Whig politician who notably served as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland in the Ministry of All the Talents. He was the father of Prime Minister

John Russell, 1st Earl Russell John Russell, 1st Earl Russell, (18 August 1792 – 28 May 1878), known by his courtesy title Lord John Russell before 1861, was a British Whig and Liberal statesman who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1846 to 1852 and a ...

Background

Bedford was a younger son of

Francis Russell, Marquess of Tavistock Francis Russell, Marquess of Tavistock (27 September 1739 – 22 March 1767) was a British politician and the eldest son of the John Russell, 4th Duke of Bedford, 4th Duke of Bedford and his second wife Gertrude Russell, Duchess of Bedford, Lady G ...

, eldest son and heir of

John Russell, 4th Duke of Bedford John Russell, 4th Duke of Bedford, (30 September 17105 January 1771) was an 18th-century British statesman.G.E. Cokayne; with Vicary Gibbs, H.A. Doubleday, Geoffrey H. White, Duncan Warrand and Lord Howard de Walden, editors, The Complete Peer ...

. His mother was Lady Elizabeth, the youngest child of

Willem van Keppel, 2nd Earl of Albemarle Lieutenant-General Willem (or William) Anne van Keppel, 2nd Earl of Albemarle (5 June 1702 – 22 December 1754) was a British soldier, diplomat and courtier. He held various roles in the household of George II (1683-1760), who was a personal fr ...

and Lady Anne Lennox.

Political career

Like most Russells, Bedford was a Whig in politics. He sat as Member of Parliament for

Tavistock Tavistock ( ) is an ancient stannary and market town within West Devon, England. It is situated on the River Tavy from which its name derives. At the 2011 census the three electoral wards (North, South and South West) had a population of 13 ...

from 1788 to June 1790 and from December 1790 to 1802, when he was automatically elevated to the Lords on the death of his brother. He served as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland during the

Whig government In British politics, a Whig government may refer to the following British governments administered by the Whigs: * Whig Junto, a name given to a group of leading Whigs who were seen to direct the management of the Whig Party **First Whig Junto, th ...

of 1806–1807. He became, as did many of his party who were strong followers of Bonapartism, opposed to the

Peninsular War The Peninsular War (1807–1814) was the military conflict fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Spain, Portugal, and the United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French Empire during the Napoleonic Wars. In Spain ...

, believing that it neither could nor should be won. He funded, along with his son, many anti-war publications. Bedford was sworn of the Privy Council in 1806 and appointed a

Knight of the Garter The Most Noble Order of the Garter is an order of chivalry founded by Edward III of England in 1348. It is the most senior order of knighthood in the British honours system, outranked in precedence only by the Victoria Cross and the George ...

in 1830.

Family

Bedford married firstly the Hon. Georgiana Byng, daughter of

George Byng, 4th Viscount Torrington George Byng, 4th Viscount Torrington (11 October 1740 – 14 December 1812) was an English peer. Origins He was the eldest son and heir of George Byng, 3rd Viscount Torrington (1701-1750) by his wife Elizabeth Daniel. Career He inherited the ...

, in 1786. The marriage lasted 15 years and they had three sons: *

Francis Russell, 7th Duke of Bedford Francis may refer to: People *Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State and Bishop of Rome * Francis (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters *Francis (surname) Places * Rural ...

* Lord George William Russell *

Lord John Russell John Russell, 1st Earl Russell, (18 August 1792 – 28 May 1878), known by his courtesy title Lord John Russell before 1861, was a British Whig and Liberal statesman who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1846 to 1852 and a ...

Prime Minister of the United Kingdom The prime minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government of the United Kingdom. The prime minister advises the sovereign on the exercise of much of the royal prerogative, chairs the Cabinet and selects its ministers. As modern ...

and grandfather of philosopher

Bertrand Russell Bertrand Arthur William Russell, 3rd Earl Russell, (18 May 1872 – 2 February 1970) was a British mathematician, philosopher, logician, and public intellectual. He had a considerable influence on mathematics, logic, set theory, linguistics, ...

. After Georgiana's early death in October 1801, Bedford married secondly Lady Georgiana, daughter of Alexander Gordon, 4th Duke of Gordon, in 1803. They had ten children, including: * Lady Georgiana Elizabeth Russell (d. 22 March 1867), married

Charles Romilly Charles Romilly (1808 – 26 August 1887) was an English cricketer with amateur status. He was associated with Marylebone Cricket Club Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) is a cricket club founded in 1787 and based since 1814 at Lord's Cricket Gr ...

and had issue * Reverend

Lord Wriothesley Russell Lord Wriothesley Russell MA (11 May 1804 – 6 April 1886) was a Canon of Windsor from 1840 to 1886 Family He was born on 11 May 1804, the fourth son of John Russell, 6th Duke of Bedford, and his wife, the former Georgiana Gordon, daughter of ...

(11 May 1804 – 6 April 1886), married Elizabeth Russell, his second cousin once removed, died without issue * Admiral

Lord Edward Russell Admiral Lord Edward Russell, (24 April 1805 – 21 May 1887) was a British naval officer and Whig politician. Early life He was the son of John Russell, 6th Duke of Bedford, and his second wife Lady Georgina Gordon, and was the younger half ...

(24 April 1805 – 21 May 1887), married Mary Ann Taylor and died without issue * Lieutenant-Colonel Lord Charles James Fox Russell (10 February 1807 – 29 June 1894), married Isabella Davies and had issue * Lady

Louisa Jane Russell Louisa Jane Hamilton, Duchess of Abercorn, VA (née Lady Louisa Jane Russell; 8 July 1812 – 31 March 1905) was a member of the British aristocracy. She was the half-sister of Prime Minister John Russell, 1st Earl Russell. Biography She was th ...

(8 July 1812 – 31 March 1905), married

James Hamilton, 1st Duke of Abercorn James Hamilton, 1st Duke of Abercorn, (21 January 1811 – 31 October 1885), styled Viscount Hamilton from 1814 to 1818 and The Marquess of Abercorn from 1818 to 1868, was a British Conservative statesman who twice served as Lord Lieutenant of Ir ...

and had issue. * Lord Cosmo Russell (1817 – 1875) * General

Lord Alexander Russell General Lord Alexander George Russell (16 September 1821 – 10 January 1907) was a British Army general. He served during the Siege of Sevastapol in the Crimean War. Background Russell was born at Woburn, Bedfordshire, the son of John Rus ...

(16 September 1821 – 10 January 1907), married Anne Holmes and had issue * Lady Rachel Evelyn Russell (1826 – 21 February 1898), married Lord James Butler and had issue. The Duchess of Bedford was a great patroness of the arts, and had a longstanding relationship with the painter Sir

Edwin Landseer Sir Edwin Henry Landseer (7 March 1802 – 1 October 1873) was an English painter and sculptor, well known for his paintings of animals – particularly horses, dogs, and stags. However, his best-known works are the lion sculptures at the bas ...

, a man twenty years her junior. The Bedfords' marriage was nevertheless considered to be a very happy one. Bedford was succeeded by his eldest son from his first marriage, Francis. The Duchess of Bedford died in February 1853, aged 71.

Bedford Lodge

In 1823 the 6th Duke of Bedford was looking for a house in London and took the lease of one of the seven houses designed and built by John Tasker on Campden Hill, Kensington, for the sum of £5,250. The lodge, previously occupied by General Sir John Fraser and then a Major Colegrave, was a simple Regency villa. The Duke employed his architect

Jeffry Wyatt Sir Jeffry Wyatville (3 August 1766 – 18 February 1840) was an English architect and garden designer. Born Jeffry Wyatt into an established dynasty of architects, in 1824 he was allowed by King George IV to change his surname to Wyatville ...

, who had worked for him on Woburn Abbey, to enlarge the villa. After these developments were completed, for several years Bedford Lodge was valued more highly for rating purposes than

Holland House Holland House, originally known as Cope Castle, was an early Jacobean country house in Kensington, London, situated in a country estate that is now Holland Park. It was built in 1605 by the diplomat Sir Walter Cope. The building later passed ...

. After the Duke's death in 1839, the Dowager Duchess continued to live at Bedford Lodge and made it a famous centre for social gatherings. Duchess of Bedford's Walk in Kensington is named in her honour. Shortly after her death in 1853, it was taken by the eighth Duke of Argyll, who renamed the house Argyll Lodge and kept it until his death in 1900.

Footnotes and references

;Notes ;Citations

External links

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thePeerage.com , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Bedford, John Russell, 6th Duke of 1766 births 1839 deaths Lords Lieutenant of Ireland 406 Garter Knights appointed by William IV Russell, John British MPs 1784–1790 British MPs 1790–1796 British MPs 1796–1800 Russell, John UK MPs 1801–1802 Bedford, D6

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Secon ...

Parents of prime ministers of the United Kingdom