Geoffrey Denis Erskine Russell, 4th Baron Ampthill, (15 October 1921 – 23 April 2011), was a British

hereditary peer The hereditary peers form part of the peerage in the United Kingdom. As of September 2022, there are 807 hereditary peers: 29 dukes (including five royal dukes), 34 marquesses, 190 earls, 111 viscounts, and 443 barons (disregarding subsid ...

and businessman, whose paternity and succession to the peerage were famously disputed in the " Ampthill baby case". His father,

John Russell, 3rd Baron Ampthill Captain John Hugo Russell, 3rd Baron Ampthill, CBE (4 October 1896 – 3 June 1973) was a British peer who served in the Royal Navy in both the First and Second World Wars. He was the son of Oliver Russell, 2nd Baron Ampthill. He succeeded to the ...

, had petitioned to disclaim paternity whilst divorcing Russell's mother, Christabel Hulme Hart, in 1923, claiming non-consummation. The petition was rejected on appeal and Russell's mother was granted a declaration that he was legitimate. Educated at Stowe School, Russell served in the

Irish Guards ("Who Shall Separate s") , colors = , identification_symbol_2 Saffron (pipes), identification_symbol_2_label = Tartan , identification_symbol = , identification_symbol_label = Tactical Recognition F ...

during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, being commissioned as a captain in 1941. He served with the Guards Armoured Division in France in 1944, where he was wounded, and in Norway in 1945. Russell was general manager of

Fortnum & Mason Fortnum & Mason (colloquially often shortened to just Fortnum's) is an upmarket department store in Piccadilly, London, with additional stores at The Royal Exchange, St Pancras railway station, Heathrow Airport in London and K11 Musea In Hong ...

from 1947 until resigning in 1951, then chairman of the New Providence Hotel until 1965. He made a career in theatrical management as owner/managing director of Linnet & Dunfee (which produced the original production of the musical hit ''

Salad Days "Salad days" is a Shakespearean idiom referring to a period of carefree innocence, idealism, and pleasure associated with youth. The modern use, chiefly in the United States, describes a heyday, when a person is/was at the peak of their abilitie ...

'') from 1953 until 1981. He was afterwards a director of

United Newspapers UBM plc was a British business-to-business (B2B) events organiser headquartered in London, England, before its acquisition by Informa in 2018. It had a long history as a multinational media company. Its main focus was on B2B events, but its pr ...

and

Express Newspapers Northern & Shell (holding company name Northern and Shell Network Ltd) is a British publishing group, founded in December 1974 and owned since then by Richard Desmond. Formerly a publisher of pornographic magazines including ''Penthouse (magazine ...

. He was also Chairman of London's Helicopter Emergency Service. Russell succeeded as

Baron Ampthill Baron Ampthill, of Ampthill in the County of Bedfordshire, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 11 March 1881 for the diplomat Lord Odo Russell. He was the third son of Major-General Lord George Russell, second son o ...

in 1973, upon the death of his father. His succession was unsuccessfully contested by his half-brother John Hugo Trenchard Russell, eldest son of the 3rd Baron's third marriage. The

Committee for Privileges The Committee for Privileges and Conduct was a select committee of the House of Lords in the Parliament of the United Kingdom which considered issues relating to the privileges of the House of Lords and its members, as well as having oversight fo ...

ruled in favour of Geoffrey in 1976. In the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the Bicameralism, upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by Life peer, appointment, Hereditary peer, heredity or Lords Spiritual, official function. Like the ...

, Ampthill sat as a crossbencher. He was a deputy speaker from 1983 and Chairman of Committees from 1992 to 1994. He was appointed a

CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

in 1986—following in the footsteps of his father who was also appointed a

—and made a

Privy Counsellor The Privy Council (PC), officially His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the sovereign of the United Kingdom. Its membership mainly comprises senior politicians who are current or former members of ei ...

in 1995. Following the passage of the

House of Lords Act 1999 The House of Lords Act 1999 (c. 34) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed the House of Lords, one of the chambers of Parliament. The Act was given Royal Assent on 11 November 1999. For centuries, the House of Lords ...

which removed the majority of hereditary peers from the House, Ampthill was one of the ninety hereditaries elected to continue to sit. He was one of fifteen peers elected by the whole house to be available to serve as deputy speakers and office holders. In 1946, Ampthill married Susan Winn, a granddaughter of the 2nd Baron St Oswald and the 1st Baron Queenborough, whom he divorced in 1971; they had three sons and a daughter. He then married Elisabeth Mallon in 1972, divorcing her in 1987. He was succeeded in the title by his first-born son David Russell.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ampthill, Geoffrey Denis Erskine Russell, 4th Baron 1921 births 2011 deaths 4 Irish Guards officers Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom People educated at Stowe School G British Army personnel of World War II Ampthill Crossbench hereditary peers Eldest sons of British hereditary barons Hereditary peers elected under the House of Lords Act 1999