William Hepburn Russell (May 17, 1857 – November 21, 1911) was an American attorney and political figure who owned the

Boston Rustlers The Atlanta Braves, a current Major League Baseball franchise, originated in Boston, Massachusetts. This article details the history of the Boston Braves, from 1871 to 1952, after which they moved to Milwaukee, and then to Atlanta. During it ...

of the

National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team s ...

in .

Early life

Russell was born on May 17, 1857, in

Hannibal, Missouri Hannibal is a city along the Mississippi River in Marion and Ralls counties in the U.S. state of Missouri. According to the 2020 U.S. Census, the population was 17,312, making it the largest city in Marion County. The bulk of the city is in Mar ...

, to Daniel and Matilda (Richmond) Russell. He attended public schools in Hannibal and graduated from a commercial college. On June 28, 1880, he married Mary Gushert, also of Hannibal. Russell began his professional career as a reporter, city editor, and managing editor of the '' Hannibal Courier'', ''Hannibal Clipper-Herald'' and ''Hannibal Journal''.

Legal career

In 1862, Russell was admitted to the Missouri state bar. From 1882 to 1884 he was the city attorney for Hannibal. In 1884 he moved to Indiana, where he worked as a general attorney for the Louisville, New Albany and Chicago Railroad. He later resided in

Chattanooga, Tennessee Chattanooga ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States. Located along the Tennessee River bordering Georgia, it also extends into Marion County on its western end. With a population of 181,099 in 2020 ...

, until 1895, when he moved to

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 ...

. Russell and William Beverly Winslow co-authored a digest of all the decisions of the

Supreme Court of the United States The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. Federal tribunals in the United States, federal court cases, and over Stat ...

Politics

In 1892, Russell was a Democratic presidential elector. After moving to New York City, Russell affiliated himself with

Tammany Hall Tammany Hall, also known as the Society of St. Tammany, the Sons of St. Tammany, or the Columbian Order, was a New York City political organization founded in 1786 and incorporated on May 12, 1789 as the Tammany Society. It became the main loc ...

, however, he left the organization in 1897. In 1902 he was elected chairman of the Greater New York Democratic executive committee. That same year he supported

Seth Low Seth Low (January 18, 1850 – September 17, 1916) was an American educator and political figure who served as the mayor of Brooklyn from 1881 to 1885, the president of Columbia University from 1890 to 1901, a diplomatic representative of ...

in his campaign for

Mayor of New York The mayor of New York City, officially Mayor of the City of New York, is head of the executive branch of the government of New York City and the chief executive of New York City. The mayor's office administers all city services, public property ...

. Low later appointed Russell to the position of senior commissioner of accounts. He resigned this post in order to work for

George B. McClellan Jr. George Brinton McClellan Jr. (November 23, 1865November 30, 1940), was an American statesman, author, historian, and educator. The son of the American Civil War general and presidential candidate George B. McClellan, he was the 93rd Mayor of Ne ...

's mayoral campaign. When Richard Croker resigned his leadership position in Tammany Hall, Russell returned to the organization.

Baseball and death

On December 17, 1910, Russell and Lewis Cloues Page, a Boston publisher, purchased controlling interest in the Boston National League baseball club from

John P. Harris John Paul Harris (December 4, 1871 – January 26, 1926) was a Pittsburgh businessman and politician who opened the world's first theater devoted entirely to showing Motion pictures. Business career Harris was born on December 4, 1871 to John an ...

. Russell, who was in ill health, gave up his legal practice and moved to Boston, as he felt that running the club would be less stressful and help restore his health. However, Russell died on November 21, 1911, at his home in

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Russell, William Hepburn 1857 births 1911 deaths 19th-century American newspaper editors 19th-century American railroad executives Boston Braves owners Indiana lawyers Major League Baseball team presidents Missouri lawyers New York (state) Democrats New York (state) lawyers People from Chattanooga, Tennessee People from Hannibal, Missouri People from Manhattan Tennessee Democrats Tennessee lawyers Journalists from New York City 19th-century American lawyers