Sir Edward John Russell (31 October 1872 – 12 July 1965) was a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

soil chemist, agriculture scientist, and director of

Rothamsted Experimental Station Rothamsted Research, previously known as the Rothamsted Experimental Station and then the Institute of Arable Crops Research, is one of the oldest agricultural research institutions in the world, having been founded in 1843. It is located at Harp ...

from 1912 to 1943. He was responsible for hiring R A Fisher for statistical research at Rothamsted. Driven by concerns over a lack of international information exchange about agriculture, he initiated the Imperial Agricultural Bureaux, which later became the Commonwealth Agricultural Bureaux. Russell was born

Frampton-on-Severn Frampton on Severn is a village and civil parish in Gloucestershire, England. The population is 1,432. Geography The village is approximately south of Gloucester, at . It lies on the east bank of the River Severn, and on the west bank of the ...

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean. The county town is the city of Gl ...

, the eldest son of the Reverend Edward T. Russell who had worked earlier as a schoolmaster. In 1885 he studied at Birmingham where the family moved before moving the next year to London. He was educated at Carmarthen Presbyterian College,

University College of Wales, Aberystwyth , mottoeng = A world without knowledge is no world at all , established = 1872 (as ''The University College of Wales'') , former_names = University of Wales, Aberystwyth , type = Public , endowment = ...

, and at the

Victoria University of Manchester The Victoria University of Manchester, usually referred to as simply the University of Manchester, was a university in Manchester, England. It was founded in 1851 as Owens College. In 1880, the college joined the federal Victoria University. Afte ...

. He earned his doctorate in chemistry (D.Sc.) from the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...

in July 1902. Russell worked as a demonstrator and lecturer at the chemistry department in Victoria University, Manchester from 1898 and became head of chemistry at the South Eastern Agricultural College from 1892 to 1907. From 1907 to 1912 he was a soil chemist at Rothamsted supported by a Goldsmith's Company's endowment of £10,000. In 1913 he became director of the research station, succeeding

Alfred Daniel Hall Sir Alfred Daniel Hall, FRS, sometimes known as Sir Daniel Hall (22 June 1864 - 5 July 1942) was a British agricultural educationist and researcher who founded the Wye College in Kent. Life Hall was born in Rochdale, Lancashire where his fa ...

. Russell worked on soil chemistry and plant nutrition appointing R A Fisher in 1919. In the

1918 New Year Honours The 1918 New Year Honours were appointments by King George V to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of the British Empire. The appointments were published in ''The London Gazette'' and ''The Times'' in Ja ...

Russell was awarded an

OBE 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 ...

for his wartime work as Technical Adviser in the Goverment's Food Production Department. He was knighted in 1922. Russell was President of the

Geographical Association The Geographical Association (GA) is an association in the United Kingdom. The organisation aims to improve geographical knowledge of the public through promoting geographical education. It is a registered charity and is independent of state aid ...

in 1923 and President of the

Aberystwyth Old Students' Association Aberystwyth Old Students' Association ( cy, Cymdeithas y Cyn-Fyfyrwyr Aberystwyth), founded in 1892, is Aberystwyth University's alumni association and is one of the oldest such associations in the United Kingdom. It currently has more than 9,50 ...

from 1928 to 1929. He was president of the

British Association The British Science Association (BSA) is a charity and learned society founded in 1831 to aid in the promotion and development of science. Until 2009 it was known as the British Association for the Advancement of Science (BA). The current Chie ...

for 1948–1949. He married Elnor Oldham of Manchester in 1903 and they had six children of whom one son, Walter, became a soil-physicist at Rothamsted. He is buried, with his wife, in the churchyard of

St Nicholas Saint Nicholas of Myra, ; la, Sanctus Nicolaus (traditionally 15 March 270 – 6 December 343), also known as Nicholas of Bari, was an early Christian bishop of Greeks, Greek descent from the maritime city of Myra in Asia Minor (; modern-da ...

in Harpenden.

Books

* Soil conditions and plant growth (1912, 1915, 1917,

1921 Events January * January 2 ** The Association football club Cruzeiro Esporte Clube, from Belo Horizonte, is founded as the multi-sports club Palestra Italia by Italian expatriates in First Brazilian Republic, Brazil. ** The Spanish lin ...

) * Lessons on soil (1912) * The Fertility of the Soil (1913) * A student's book on soils and manures (1921) * The micro-organisms of the soil (1923) * Manuring for higher crop production (1916)

References

External links

Biographical Database of the British Chemical Community: E. J. (Sir John) Russell

Royal Society citation

COPAC list of Russell's books
* * 1872 births 1965 deaths Fellows of the Royal Society Presidents of the British Science Association New Naturalist writers Aberystwyth Old Students' Association Officers of the Order of the British Empire Knights Bachelor Victoria Medal recipients Alumni of the Victoria University of Manchester Alumni of Aberystwyth University Alumni of the University of London Academics of Wye College {{UK-scientist-stub