Russell Sturgis (1805–1887)
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Russell Sturgis (July 7, 1805 November 2, 1887) was a
Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
merchant active in the China trade, and later head of
Baring Brothers Barings Bank was a British merchant bank based in London, and one of England's oldest merchant banks after Berenberg Bank, Barings' close collaborator and German representative. It was founded in 1762 by Francis Baring, a British-born member ...
in London.


Early life

Sturgis was born Nathaniel Russell Sturgis Jr., in Boston, Massachusetts, on July 7, 1805. He was a son of Nathaniel Russell Sturgis (1779–1856) and his wife, Susannah Thomsen (
née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...
Parkman) Sturgis. His younger brother was fellow merchant Henry Parkman Sturgis (father of author
Maria Trinidad Howard Sturgis Middlemore Maria Trinidad Howard Sturgis Middlemore (also wrote as Mrs. S. C. G. Middlemore and M. H. Sturgis; née Sturgis; July 26, 1846 in Manila – February 11, 1890 in Malvern, England) was an American-Filipina author. She is notable for her collection a ...
), who served as United States Consul to the Philippines. His paternal grandparents were the merchant
Russell Sturgis Russell Sturgis (; October 16, 1836 – February 11, 1909) was an American architect and art critic of the 19th and early 20th centuries. He was one of the founders of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1870. Sturgis was born in Baltimore Cou ...
(1750-1826) and Elizabeth (née Perkins) Sturgis (a sister of merchant
Thomas Handasyd Perkins Colonel Thomas Handasyd Perkins, also known as T. H. Perkins (December 15, 1764 – January 11, 1854), was an American merchant, slave trader, smuggler and philanthropist from a wealthy Boston Brahmin family. Starting with bequests from his grand ...
), both of
Boston Brahmin The Boston Brahmins or Boston elite are members of Boston's traditional upper class. They are often associated with Harvard University; Anglicanism; and traditional Anglo-American customs and clothing. Descendants of the earliest English colonis ...
families. Through his great-uncle Thomas Sturgis (the younger brother of his grandfather Russell), he was a second cousin of architect and art critic
Russell Sturgis Russell Sturgis (; October 16, 1836 – February 11, 1909) was an American architect and art critic of the 19th and early 20th centuries. He was one of the founders of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1870. Sturgis was born in Baltimore Cou ...
(1836-1909), who married Sarah Maria Barney, a daughter of
Danford Newton Barney Danford Newton Barney (March 4, 1808 – March 8, 1874) was an American expressman who served as president of Wells Fargo & Company from 1853 to 1866. Early life Barney was born in 1808 at Henderson, New York, the son of John Barney (1775–1863) ...
, a president of
Wells Fargo & Company Wells Fargo & Company is an American multinational financial services company with corporate headquarters in San Francisco, California; operational headquarters in Manhattan; and managerial offices throughout the United States and intern ...
. Sturgis entered
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 ...
at the age of twelve and graduated in 1823 as a member of the
Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal a ...
society. He studied law at
Northampton, Massachusetts The city of Northampton is the county seat of Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of Northampton (including its outer villages, Florence and Leeds) was 29,571. Northampton is known as an acade ...
.


Career

In 1828, he changed his name legally to Russell Sturgis. That same year, after his second marriage, he made his first voyage abroad then practiced law in Boston for a time. He sailed for Canton in 1833 on behalf of
opium Opium (or poppy tears, scientific name: ''Lachryma papaveris'') is dried latex obtained from the seed capsules of the opium poppy ''Papaver somniferum''. Approximately 12 percent of opium is made up of the analgesic alkaloid morphine, which i ...
trader
John Perkins Cushing John Perkins Cushing (April 22, 1787 – April 12, 1862), called "Ku-Shing" by the Chinese, was a wealthy American sea merchant, opium smuggler, and philanthropist. His sixty-foot pilot schooner, the ''Sylph'', won the first recorded American yac ...
, settling for some time in Macau where Lady Elizabeth Napier, wife of British emissary William John, 9th Lord Napier, found him "very intelligent". While he was there, his portrait and those of three of his four children by his second wife, Mary Greene Hubbard, were painted by the English portraitist
George Chinnery George Chinnery (; 5 January 1774 – 30 May 1852) was an English painter who spent most of his life in Asia, especially India and southern China. Early life Chinnery was born in London, where he studied at the Royal Academy Schools. ...
. In Asia, he entered a succession of trading firms (Russell & Sturgis of Manila; Russell, Sturgis & Co. of Canton; Russell & Co.), and in 1842 he became a full partner. In 1844, Sturgis retired to Boston to rejoin his children who had been sent there to school after their mother's 1837 death in Manila. He married for a third time, to Julia Overing Boit, and decided to return to China with his family in 1851. The steamer on which they crossed the Atlantic arrived too late to catch the onward ship from London. In their interval there, Sturgis was asked by the senior member of
Barings Bank Barings Bank was a British merchant bank based in London, and one of England's List of oldest banks in continuous operation, oldest merchant banks after Berenberg Bank, Barings' close collaborator and German representative. It was founded in 1762 ...
to become a partner. He accepted and ultimately became head of the firm, succeeding fellow American Joshua Bates (husband to Sturgis' cousin Lucretia). In England, he lived at 17
Carlton House Terrace Carlton House Terrace is a street in the St James's district of the City of Westminster in London. Its principal architectural feature is a pair of terraces of white stucco-faced houses on the south side of the street overlooking St. James's ...
in London (today home to the
Federation of British Artists The Federation of British Artists (FBA) consists of nine art societies, and is based at Mall Galleries in London where the societies' Annual Exhibitions are held. The societies represent living artists working in the United Kingdom who create co ...
and the
Mall Galleries Mall commonly refers to a: * Shopping mall * Strip mall * Pedestrian street * Esplanade Mall or MALL may also refer to: Places Shopping complexes * The Mall (Sofia) (Tsarigradsko Mall), Sofia, Bulgaria * The Mall, Patna, Patna, Bihar, India * M ...
), and Givons Grove in
Leatherhead Leatherhead is a town in the Mole Valley District of Surrey, England, about south of Central London. The settlement grew up beside a ford on the River Mole, from which its name is thought to derive. During the late Anglo-Saxon period, Leath ...
. Although he never renounced his U.S. citizenship, Sturgis did not return to the United States and died in England in 1887.


Personal life

Sturgis married three times. He married his first wife, Lucy Lyman Paine (1805–1828), on April 3, 1828. Lucy was a daughter of Henry Paine and his wife Olive Lyman. Her paternal grandfather was
Robert Treat Paine Robert Treat Paine (March 11, 1731 – May 11, 1814) was an American lawyer, politician and Founding Father of the United States who signed the Continental Association and the Declaration of Independence as a representative of Massachusetts. ...
, a lawyer, politician, signer of the
Declaration of Independence A declaration of independence or declaration of statehood or proclamation of independence is an assertion by a polity in a defined territory that it is independent and constitutes a state. Such places are usually declared from part or all of the ...
, and the first
Attorney General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...
of Massachusetts. Lucy died, aged 22, on August 20, 1828, just four months after their marriage. On September 28, 1829, Sturgis married his second wife, Mary Greene Hubbard (1806–1837), a daughter of John Hubbard and his wife Jane Parkinson. She bore four children, the youngest of whom (Mary Greene Sturgis) died in infancy:. The other three, all of whom were members of the Codman family, were: * Russell Sturgis Jr. (1831–1899), who married Susan Codman Welles (1832–1862), a daughter of Benjamin Welles and his wife Susan Codman. After his wife's death, this Sturgis married Margaret Cenos McCulloh (1835–1927), a daughter of Maryland
Speaker Speaker may refer to: Society and politics * Speaker (politics), the presiding officer in a legislative assembly * Public speaker, one who gives a speech or lecture * A person producing speech: the producer of a given utterance, especially: ** In ...
James W. McCulloh, who was the center of the landmark Supreme Court case McCulloch v. Maryland, 17 U.S. 316 (1819), and his wife, Abigail Sears. * Lucy Lyman Paine Sturgis (1833–1907), who married Col. Charles Russell Codman (1829–1918) *
John Hubbard Sturgis John Hubbard Sturgis (August 5, 1834 – February 14, 1888)Boit, Robert Apthorp p. 207 was an American architect and builder who was active in the New England area during the late 19th century. His most prominent works included Codman House, Li ...
(1834–1888), an architect who married Frances Anne Codman (a half-sister to Lucy's husband Charles). After the death of his wife Mary, Sturgis married, for a third time, to Julia Overing Boit (1823–1888) on June 4, 1846. She was the daughter of John Boit Jr., one of the first Americans involved in the
maritime fur trade The maritime fur trade was a ship-based fur trade system that focused on acquiring furs of sea otters and other animals from the indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast and natives of Alaska. The furs were mostly sold in China in ex ...
. and his wife Eleanor Auchmuty Jones. With Julia, Sturgis had four more children: *
Henry Parkman Sturgis Henry Parkman Sturgis (1 March 1847 – 1 March 1929) was an American-born banker in England and a Liberal politician. Early life Sturgis was born in the United States on 1 March 1847. He was a son of Russell Sturgis and his third wife, Julia O ...
(1847–1929), who served as a
Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...
for
South Dorset South Dorset is a List of United Kingdom Parliament constituencies, constituency represented in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, UK Parliament since 2010 by Richard Drax, a Co ...
and
High Sheriff of the County of London Below is a list of sheriffs of the County of London, from the creation of the county in 1889 to its abolition in 1965: *1889–1890: Alfred de Rothschild, of Senmore Place *1890–1891: Sir James Whitehead, Bart, of Highlield House, Cat ...
. He married the Hon. Mary Cecilia Brand, daughter of
Speaker Speaker may refer to: Society and politics * Speaker (politics), the presiding officer in a legislative assembly * Public speaker, one who gives a speech or lecture * A person producing speech: the producer of a given utterance, especially: ** In ...
Henry Brand, 1st Viscount Hampden Henry Bouverie William Brand, 1st Viscount Hampden (24 December 181414 March 1892), was a British Liberal politician. He served as Speaker of the House of Commons from 1872 to 1884. Background and education Brand was the second son of General ...
, in 1872. After her death in 1886, he married Marie "Mariette" Eveleen Meredith, a daughter of the novelist
George Meredith George Meredith (12 February 1828 – 18 May 1909) was an English novelist and poet of the Victorian era. At first his focus was poetry, influenced by John Keats among others, but he gradually established a reputation as a novelist. ''The Ord ...
, in 1896. * Julian Russell Sturgis (1848–1904), a novelist, poet, librettist and lyricist who married Mary Maud de la Poer Beresford, a daughter of Colonel Marcus de La Poer Beresford, in 1883. * Mary Greene Hubbard Sturgis (1851–1942), who married Lt.-Col. Leopold Richard Seymour (1841–1904), son of British diplomat Sir Hamilton Seymour and a grandson of
Lord George Seymour Lord George Seymour-Conway (21 July 1763 – 10 March 1848), known as Lord George Seymour, was a British politician. A member of the Seymour family headed by the Duke of Somerset, Seymour was the seventh son and youngest child of Francis Seymo ...
and
Henry Trevor, 21st Baron Dacre Henry Otway Trevor, 21st Baron Dacre, CB (27 July 1777 – 2 June 1853) was a British peer and soldier. Born Henry Otway Brand, he was the second son of Thomas Brand and his wife the 19th Baroness Dacre. On 24 August 1806, he married Pyne Cro ...
. After his death, she married
Bertram Falle, 1st Baron Portsea Bertram Godfray Falle, 1st Baron Portsea (21 November 1859 – 1 November 1948), known as Sir Bertram Falle, Bt, between 1916 and 1930, was a Jersey-born barrister and politician in the United Kingdom. Background and education Falle was born on ...
in 1906. * Howard Overing Sturgis (1855–1920), a novelist and close friend of
Henry James Henry James ( – ) was an American-British author. He is regarded as a key transitional figure between literary realism and literary modernism, and is considered by many to be among the greatest novelists in the English language. He was the ...
and
Edith Wharton Edith Wharton (; born Edith Newbold Jones; January 24, 1862 – August 11, 1937) was an American novelist, short story writer, and interior designer. Wharton drew upon her insider's knowledge of the upper-class New York "aristocracy" to portray ...
.''The New York Review of Books''
/ref> After the death of his mother in 1888 he moved with his lover, William Haynes-Smith, into a country house named Queen's Acre, near
Windsor Great Park Windsor Great Park is a Royal Park of , including a deer park, to the south of the town of Windsor on the border of Berkshire and Surrey in England. It is adjacent to the private Home Park, which is nearer the castle. The park was, for many ...
. Sturgis died at his country seat in
Leatherhead Leatherhead is a town in the Mole Valley District of Surrey, England, about south of Central London. The settlement grew up beside a ford on the River Mole, from which its name is thought to derive. During the late Anglo-Saxon period, Leath ...
,
Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...
on November 2, 1887. His widow also died there, less than a year later, on May 31, 1888.


Descendants

Through his daughter Lucy, he was a grandfather of Anne McMasters Codman (1864–1944) (who married Henry Bromfield Cabot), and lawyer
Julian Codman Julian Codman (September 21, 1870 – December 30, 1932), was an American lawyer who was a vigorous opponent of Prohibition who was also involved with the Anti-Imperialist League. Early life Codman was born in Cotuit, Massachusetts, on September ...
(1870–1932), who was a vigorous opponent of
Prohibition Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic ...
and was involved with the Anti-Imperialist League. Julian married Nora Chadwick, a daughter of Dr.
James Read Chadwick James Read Chadwick (November 2, 1844 – September 23, 1905) was an American gynecologist and medical librarian remembered for describing the Chadwick sign of early pregnancy in 1887. Early life and education Chadwick was born in Boston on Nov ...
. Through his eldest son, Russell, Sturgis was a grandfather of architect
Richard Clipston Sturgis Richard Clipston Sturgis (1860-1951), generally known as R. Clipston Sturgis, was an American architect based in Boston, Massachusetts. Life and career Richard Clipston Sturgis was born December 24, 1860, in Boston, Massachusetts to Russell and ...
(1860–1951) who was successor to his uncle's practice. He married Esther Mary Ogden and was the father of Richard Clipston Sturgis Jr., also an architect.


References

;Notes ;Sources


External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sturgis, Russell 1805 births 1887 deaths Businesspeople from Boston Harvard College alumni Phillips Exeter Academy alumni American expatriates in China American merchants 19th-century American businesspeople Sturgis family