William Eustis Russell (January 6, 1857 – July 16, 1896) was a lawyer and
Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to:
*Democratic Party (United States)
Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to:
Active parties Africa
*Botswana Democratic Party
*Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea
*Gabonese Democratic Party
*Demo ...
politician from
. He served four terms as
mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...
of
Cambridge
Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...
, and was the
37th governor of Massachusetts
The governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is the chief executive officer of the government of Massachusetts. The governor is the head of the state cabinet and the commander-in-chief of the commonwealth's military forces.
Massachusetts ...
, serving from 1891 to 1894. He was the state's youngest-ever chief executive, and was the first Democrat since 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 ...
to serve more than one term in that office.
Educated at
Harvard
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...
and
Boston University Law School
Boston University School of Law (Boston Law or BU Law) is the law school of Boston University, a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. It is consistently ranked among the top law schools in the United States and considered an e ...
, Russell practiced law in the family firm. He was politically a conservative Democrat, supporting the presidential campaigns of
Grover Cleveland
Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837June 24, 1908) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 22nd and 24th president of the United States from 1885 to 1889 and from 1893 to 1897. Cleveland is the only president in American ...
and the
gold standard
A gold standard is a monetary system in which the standard economic unit of account is based on a fixed quantity of gold. The gold standard was the basis for the international monetary system from the 1870s to the early 1920s, and from the la ...
for the national currency. He gave a speech in favor of the latter at the
1896 Democratic National Convention immediately prior to
William Jennings Bryan
William Jennings Bryan (March 19, 1860 – July 26, 1925) was an American lawyer, orator and politician. Beginning in 1896, he emerged as a dominant force in the History of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, running ...
's
Cross of Gold speech
The Cross of Gold speech was delivered by William Jennings Bryan, a former United States Representative from Nebraska, at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on July 9, 1896. In his address, Bryan supported " free silver" (i.e. bim ...
, and refused efforts to draft him as an opponent to Bryan for the presidential nomination. About a week later, he died quite suddenly at a fishing camp in
Quebec
Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...
; he was 39. He was viewed by eastern Democrats as a future party leader and presidential contender.
Family
William Eustis Russell was born in
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston, ...
, the ninth child and fourth son of
Charles Theodore Russell
Charles Theodore Russell (November 20, 1815 – January 16, 1896) was a Massachusetts politician who served in both branches of the Massachusetts legislature and as the Mayor of Cambridge, Massachusetts. Russell was the father of Cambridge May ...
and Sarah Elizabeth (Ballister) Russell.
[Mitchell, p. 250.][Wheelwright, p. 334.] On his father's side, he was descended from
Thomas Hastings, and William Russell, both 17th-century settlers of Massachusetts, while his mother was of
Huguenot
The Huguenots ( , also , ) were a religious group of French Protestants who held to the Reformed, or Calvinist, tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, the Genevan burgomaster Be ...
descent.
[ Russell's father was a politically active ]Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to:
*Democratic Party (United States)
Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to:
Active parties Africa
*Botswana Democratic Party
*Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea
*Gabonese Democratic Party
*Demo ...
lawyer, who served as mayor of Cambridge 1861–62. Russell was the father of Cambridge mayor Richard M. Russell
Richard Manning Russell (March 3, 1891 – February 27, 1977) was a United States Representative from Massachusetts. He was born in Cambridge on March 3, 1891, to Governor William Russell and Margaret Manning Swan. Russell attended Middlesex Sch ...
, and the great-grandfather of small government
Libertarian conservatism, also referred to as conservative libertarianism and conservatarianism, is a political and social philosophy that combines conservatism and libertarianism, representing the libertarian wing of conservatism and vice ver ...
advocate Carla A. Howell and writer Thomas E. Ricks. In 1885, Russell married Margaret Manning Swan; they had three children.[
]
Education and early career
Russell attended Harvard College
Harvard College is the undergraduate college of Harvard University, an Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, Harvard College is the original school of Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher lea ...
, graduating in 1877. He excelled at history, political economy, and ethics, and was poor in language, math, and chemistry. He was a member of the Hasty Pudding Club
The Hasty Pudding Club, often referred to simply as the Pudding, is a social club at Harvard University, and one of three sub-organizations that comprise the Hasty Pudding - Institute of 1770. The club's motto, ''Concordia Discors'' (discordant h ...
, and was an active participant in varsity sports, boxing, playing football, and on the school's rifle shooting
Shooting sports is a group of competitive and recreational sporting activities involving proficiency tests of accuracy, precision and speed in shooting — the art of using ranged weapons, mainly small arms ( firearms and airguns, in forms suc ...
squad, where he was considered an excellent marksman
A marksman is a person who is skilled in precision shooting using projectile weapons (in modern days most commonly an accurized scoped long gun such as designated marksman rifle or a sniper rifle) to shoot at high-value targets at longer-than-u ...
. He was also politically active, campaigning for Samuel J. Tilden
Samuel Jones Tilden (February 9, 1814 – August 4, 1886) was an American politician who served as the 25th Governor of New York and was the Democratic candidate for president in the disputed 1876 United States presidential election. Tilden was ...
in the 1876 presidential election.[
In 1879, he received his ]law degree
A law degree is an academic degree conferred for studies in law. Such degrees are generally preparation for legal careers. But while their curricula may be reviewed by legal authority, they do not confer a license themselves. A legal license is gra ...
from the Boston University School of Law
Boston University School of Law (Boston Law or BU Law) is the law school of Boston University, a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. It is consistently ranked among the top law schools in the United States and considered an eli ...
, and was the first to graduate ''summa cum laude
Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sou ...
'' from that school. While studying at BU he won the Lawrence prize for the best legal essay. He was admitted to the Massachusetts bar in 1880 and began the practice of law with his father's Boston firm, Russell & Russell, which also included his brother and uncle.
He entered politics in 1881, winning election to the Cambridge common council by a single vote, on a write-in "sticker campaign" started by friends without his knowledge.[Mitchell, p. 251.] He was elected to the board of aldermen in 1883 and 1884.
Mayor of Cambridge
Russell served as Mayor of Cambridge for four 1-year terms from 1885 to 1888, being reelected with no opposition at least twice, running on non-party tickets.[ When he took office, the city treasury was virtually empty, and it was saddled with a high tax rate. In his first year in office, Russell balanced the budget, funded the city's debt, and paid off its outstanding bills. He adopted the slogan "pay as you go" to exemplify his approach to city finances. During his tenure, he oversaw improvements in wide array of city services, include streets, sewers, fire, police, and health. ]Charles Eliot Norton
Charles Eliot Norton (November 16, 1827 – October 21, 1908) was an American author, social critic, and Harvard professor of art based in New England. He was a progressive social reformer and a liberal activist whom many of his contemporaries c ...
opined that Cambridge was then the best-run city in the state.
Although Russell was personally opposed to the prohibition of alcohol, the city voted in 1886 to become dry, and he won favorable notice for enforcing the ban despite his opposition to it.[ He received mixed reviews for labor-related actions. In 1886, he successfully settled a meatpackers' strike, but in a February 1887 strike by the local horse railway, he called out the police to support strikebreakers, and (after two instances of violence) called out the militia to maintain order until the strike was broken.
While in office, Russell solicited sizable donations from philanthropist ]Frederick Hastings Rindge
Frederick Hastings Rindge (1857–1905) was an American business magnate, patriarch of the illustrious and prominent Rindge family, real estate developer, philanthropist, and writer, of Los Angeles, California. He was a major benefactor to his ...
(a Harvard classmate) which made possible the construction of Cambridge City Hall, a Manual Training School (now Cambridge Rindge and Latin School
The Cambridge Rindge and Latin School, also known as CRLS or "Rindge," is a public high school in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. It is a part of the Cambridge Public School District. In 1977, two separate schools, the Rindge Technical ...
), and Cambridge's public library. These were the first large-scale philanthropic gifts the city had received. Russell's efficient administration as mayor, particularly in the enforcement of the liquor ban, and his effective campaign speeches during the Presidential campaign of 1884 made him a prominent figure in state politics.[
]
Governor of Massachusetts
In 1886, Russell declined a party effort to recruit him has a candidate for the U.S. Congress
The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is Bicameralism, bicameral, composed of a lower body, the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives, and an upper body, ...
.[ He twice ran unsuccessfully for ]Governor of Massachusetts
The governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is the chief executive officer of the government of Massachusetts. The governor is the head of the state cabinet and the commander-in-chief of the commonwealth's military forces.
Massachusetts ...
in 1888 and 1889, defeated by Oliver Ames and John Quincy Adams Brackett
John Quincy Adams Brackett (June 8, 1842 – April 6, 1918) was an American lawyer and politician from Massachusetts. A Republican and temperance advocate, he served one term as the 36th Governor of Massachusetts, from 1890 to 1891. Born in ...
. He finally won the governorship in 1890 in a rematch of the 1889 contest with Brackett.[Wilson, p. 116.] The 1890 victory was part of a national backlash against Republican tariff legislation, overlaid by opposition within the state to Brackett's harsh enforcement of liquor laws. He was twice reelected, in 1891 and 1892, making him the first Democrat since 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 ...
to win more than one term as Massachusetts governor.[ His election as governor for three successive years was a result of his personal popularity: the majority of the legislature and state officials during his tenure were Republicans.][ His administration was marked by impartiality and lack of partisanship.] As governor, several laws were passed on his recommendation, including a measure to regulate the activities of lobbyists, and another abolishing the property qualification for governor and the poll tax
A poll tax, also known as head tax or capitation, is a tax levied as a fixed sum on every liable individual (typically every adult), without reference to income or resources.
Head taxes were important sources of revenue for many governments fr ...
.[ Russell's administration also saw the beginning of an ]inheritance tax
An inheritance tax is a tax paid by a person who inherits money or property of a person who has died, whereas an estate tax is a levy on the estate (money and property) of a person who has died.
International tax law distinguishes between an es ...
. He advocated and signed a series of pro-labor
Labour or labor may refer to:
* Childbirth, the delivery of a baby
* Labour (human activity), or work
** Manual labour, physical work
** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer
** Organized labour and the la ...
laws, and signed legislation establishing the Metropolitan District Commission (a state agency)[ and the ]Trustees of Reservations
The Trustees of Reservations is a non-profit land conservation and historic preservation organization dedicated to preserving natural and historical places in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is the oldest land conservation nonprofit orga ...
(a private charity) to preserve open spaces. He decided not to run for reelection in 1893, and resumed the practice of law.[
]
Later political activity
During the 1892 presidential campaign, there was talk of Russell being the vice presidential nominee if Senator
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
John M. Palmer were to receive the Democratic presidential nomination. In early February 1892, Palmer and Patrick A. Collins, a former Democratic Massachusetts Congressman, agreed to make Palmer the Democratic presidential candidate and Russell, Collins' personal and political friend, the vice presidential candidate. Palmer ended up rejecting the bid, and argued against it at the 1892 Democratic National Convention. Russell received one vote for President on the first ballot.
Russell was one of the most active opponents of free silver
Free silver was a major economic policy issue in the United States in the late 19th-century. Its advocates were in favor of an expansionary monetary policy featuring the unlimited coinage of silver into money on-demand, as opposed to strict adhe ...
during the 1896 presidential election.[ He announced his candidacy for President in April 1896, and garnered support and convention delegates in many states across the eastern United States, but he was harmed by lackluster support given by outgoing President Cleveland. In contrast to the eastern states, many midwestern and western states chose free silver delegations, dimming his prospects for the nomination. Russell categorically rejected the idea of becoming the nominee if the convention adopted a silver platform, and had to be coaxed into attending the 1896 Democratic National Convention. At the convention, after the silver platform was adopted, he refused to be considered for a third-party candidacy. He gave an impassioned speech in favor of the gold standard, which was immediately followed by ]William Jennings Bryan
William Jennings Bryan (March 19, 1860 – July 26, 1925) was an American lawyer, orator and politician. Beginning in 1896, he emerged as a dominant force in the History of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, running ...
's famous Cross of Gold speech
The Cross of Gold speech was delivered by William Jennings Bryan, a former United States Representative from Nebraska, at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on July 9, 1896. In his address, Bryan supported " free silver" (i.e. bim ...
.[ Bryan's nomination for the presidency was seconded by a Massachusetts delegate ]George Fred Williams
George Fred Williams (July 10, 1852 – July 11, 1932) was a U.S. Representative from Massachusetts and Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to both Greece and Montenegro.
Early life and career
Born in Dedham, Massachusetts, Willi ...
, who had bolted to the silver side after becoming a delegate, and was a prominent state intraparty opponent of Russell. Russell received two votes for President on the first ballot.
Death and legacy
After the 1896 convention, Russell traveled to the Gaspé peninsula
The Gaspé Peninsula, also known as Gaspesia (; ), is a peninsula along the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River that extends from the Matapedia Valley in Quebec, Canada, into the Gulf of Saint Lawrence. It is separated from New Brunswick o ...
of eastern Quebec
Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...
to escape the summer heat and political pressures. He died quite unexpectedly on the night of his arrival, July 16, 1896, in his sleep, at a camp on the Little Pabos River just north of Sainte-Adelaide-de-Pabos.[Wheelwright, p. 337.] The cause of death was ruled to be heart failure. Russell was buried at Mount Auburn Cemetery
Mount Auburn Cemetery is the first rural cemetery, rural, or garden, cemetery in the United States, located on the line between Cambridge, Massachusetts, Cambridge and Watertown, Massachusetts, Watertown in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, Middl ...
in Cambridge; his funeral was attended by President Cleveland.[
In 1903, the William E. Russell School in Boston's Dorchester neighborhood, designed by James Mulcahy, was named in his honor. It still serves as an ]elementary school
A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ed ...
in the Boston Public Schools
Boston Public Schools (BPS) is a school district serving the city of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It is the largest public school district in the state of Massachusetts.
Leadership
The district is led by a Superintendent, hired by the ...
.
Notes
References
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External links
Descendants of Thomas Hastings website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Russell, William Eustis
1857 births
1896 deaths
Democratic Party governors of Massachusetts
Boston University School of Law alumni
Harvard College alumni
Mayors of Cambridge, Massachusetts
Burials at Mount Auburn Cemetery
19th-century American politicians
Hasty Pudding alumni
Bourbon Democrats