William F. Russell (c. 1805 – after 1875) was an American politician. He was a settler in Florida, soldier, and member of the

Florida House of Representatives The Florida House of Representatives is the lower house of the Florida Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida, the Florida Senate being the upper house. Article III, Section 1 of the Constitution of Florida, adopted ...

, serving as

Speaker of the House The speaker of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body, is its presiding officer, or the chair. The title was first used in 1377 in England. Usage The title was first recorded in 1377 to describe the role of Thomas de Hunger ...

in 1854. Russell was born in North Carolina. He became a major, and was put in charge of the Indian River Settlement in St. Lucia County, which broke up following an attack by Seminole Indians in July 1849. Russell was shot in the arm during the attack. Russell's brother-in-law John Barker was killed. The rest of his family escaped to New Smyrna. He served as

county commission A county commission (or a board of county commissioners) is a group of elected officials (county commissioners) collectively charged with administering the county government in some states of the United States; such commissions usually comprise ...

er for

St. Lucie County St. Lucie County ( es, Condado de Santa Lucía, link=) is a county in the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 329,226. The county's seat is Fort Pierce. St. Lucie County is included in the Port St. Lucie, FL Metro ...

from 1847 to 1852 and 1853 until Brevard County was broken off from St. Lucie in 1855. In 1854, Russell was elected to the

and served as

Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives The speaker is the presiding member of the Florida House of Representatives. The Speaker and his staff provide direction and coordination to employees throughout the House and serve the members in carrying out their constitutional responsibilities ...

. Russell introduced the legislation creating Brevard County; naming it after his friend Theodorus W. Brevard in 1855.Eriksen, John M
''Brevard County, Florida : A Short History to 1955''
/ref>

Russell-Padrick House

Around 1875 Russell built a two-story house in St. Lucie County. It is the oldest standing house in the county and is now known as the Russell-Padrick House. It is part of the

St. Lucie Village Historic District The St. Lucie Village Historic District is a historic district located in St. Lucie Village, Florida. The district runs from 2505 through 3305 North Indian River Drive. Out of the 50 structures lining the Indian River Drive, 35 are of historica ...

. It is located at 2817 North Indian River Drive.

References

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* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Russell, William F. 1800s births County commissioners in Florida Customs officials Florida pioneers Speakers of the Florida House of Representatives Members of the Florida House of Representatives People from North Carolina People from St. Lucie County, Florida People from Brevard County, Florida Date of birth unknown Year of death missing Place of death missing