Russell Errett (November 10, 1817 – April 7, 1891) was a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

member of the

U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

from

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

Biography

Russell Errett was born in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. In 1829 he moved to

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 ...

, and became engaged in newspaper work. Among the papers he edited were the Pittsburgh ''Daily Sun'', a small penny journal; the ''Washington Patriot'', an anti-slavery weekly of

Washington, Pennsylvania Washington is a city in and the county seat of Washington County, Pennsylvania. A part of the Greater Pittsburgh area in the southwestern part of the state, the city is home to Washington & Jefferson College and Pony League baseball. The populat ...

; and the ''

Pittsburgh Gazette The ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', also known simply as the PG, is the largest newspaper serving metropolitan Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Descended from the ''Pittsburgh Gazette'', established in 1786 as the first newspaper published west of the All ...

''. He was elected

comptroller A comptroller (pronounced either the same as ''controller'' or as ) is a management-level position responsible for supervising the quality of accounting and financial reporting of an organization. A financial comptroller is a senior-level executi ...

of Pittsburgh in 1860. He served as clerk of the

Pennsylvania State Senate The Pennsylvania State Senate is the upper house of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, the Pennsylvania state legislature. The State Senate meets in the State Capitol building in Harrisburg. Senators are elected for four year terms, staggered ev ...

in 1860, 1861, and 1872 to 1876. 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 ...

, Errett was appointed additional paymaster in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

in 1861 and served until mustered out in 1866. He was a member of the Pennsylvania State Senate in 1867. He was appointed assessor of internal revenue in 1869, and served until 1873. He conducted the ''

Pittsburgh Commercial The ''Pittsburgh Commercial'' was a morning daily newspaper published from 7 September 1863 to 14 February 1877 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It was outspokenly Republican in its political commentary. Its succession of chief editors included Tho ...

'' newspaper from 1873 to 1876. Errett was elected as a Republican to the 45th, 46th, and 47th Congresses. He served as chairman of the

United States House Committee on Expenditures on Public Buildings The Committee on Oversight and Reform is the main investigative committee of the United States House of Representatives. The committee's broad jurisdiction and legislative authority make it one of the most influential and powerful panels in the ...

during the 47th Congress. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in

1882 Events January–March * January 2 ** The Standard Oil Trust is secretly created in the United States to control multiple corporations set up by John D. Rockefeller and his associates. ** Irish-born author Oscar Wilde arrives in ...

. He was appointed by President

Chester A. Arthur Chester Alan Arthur (October 5, 1829 – November 18, 1886) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 21st president of the United States from 1881 to 1885. He previously served as the 20th vice president under President James ...

as United States pension agent at Pittsburgh in 1883 and served in this capacity until May 1887. He died in

Carnegie, Pennsylvania Carnegie () is a Borough (Pennsylvania), borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and is part of the Greater Pittsburgh Region, Pittsburgh metropolitan area. The population was 7,972 in the United St ...

, in 1891. Interment was in Chartiers Cemetery. Russell's younger brother

Isaac Errett Isaac Errett (January 2, 1820 in New York City – December 19, 1888 in Cincinnati, Ohio) was a United States clergyman and editor who was a leader in the early Restoration Movement. Biography Errett's parents were converts of Alexander Campbel ...

was the founding editor of the ''

Christian Standard The ''Christian Standard'' is a religious periodical associated with the Restoration Movement that was established in 1866.Douglas Allen Foster and Anthony L. Dunnavant, ''The Encyclopedia of the Stone-Campbell Movement: Christian Church (Discipl ...

'' and a figure in the American

Restoration Movement The Restoration Movement (also known as the American Restoration Movement or the Stone–Campbell Movement, and pejoratively as Campbellism) is a Christian movement that began on the United States frontier during the Second Great Awakening (179 ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Errett, Russell Republican Party Pennsylvania state senators Union Army soldiers Politicians from Pittsburgh 1817 births 1891 deaths Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American newspaper editors Editors of Pennsylvania newspapers