Patricia Spence

Patricia Russell, Countess Russell (1910 – 2004) was the third wife of philosopher Bertrand Russell and a significant contributor to his book '' A History of Western Philosophy''.

Lady Russell was born Marjorie Helen Spence in 1910. As her parents had always wanted a boy, she was known as 'Peter', a nickname she retained throughout her life. She met Bertrand Russell in 1930 when she was a 21-year-old undergraduate at the University of Oxford, hired by Russell's second wife Dora Black as a governess. They had an affair and were married at the Midhurst register office on 18 January 1936. They had one son, Conrad Sebastian Robert Russell, 5th Earl Russell, who became a prominent historian and one of the leading figures in the Liberal Democrat party. They had an acrimonious separation in 1949.

Patricia was a member of the first board of the Harlow Development Corporation, serving from 1947 to 1950. She smoked a pipe.Gibberd et al. p.378

Notes

References

* Ray Monk, ''Bertrand Russell. The Ghost of Madness'', London 2000
*Gibberd, Frederick et al. ''Harlow : the story of a new town.'' Stevenage: Publications for Companies. 1980.

External links

* '' Details of 12 portraits, 8 of them reproduced''

Bertrand Russell
1910 births
2004 deaths
British countesses

{{UK-philosopher-stub