Francis Russell, 7th Duke of Bedford (13 May 1788 – 14 May 1861), styled Marquess of Tavistock from 1802 to 1839, was a British peer and Whig politician.

Background and education

He was the son of

John Russell, 6th Duke of Bedford John Russell, 6th Duke of Bedford (6 July 1766 – 20 October 1839), known as Lord John Russell until 1802, was a British Whig politician who notably served as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland in the Ministry of All the Talents. He was the father ...

, and his first wife, the Hon. Georgiana Byng, second daughter of George Byng, 4th Viscount Torrington. Russell was educated at

Westminster School Westminster School is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school in Westminster, London, England, in the precincts of Westminster Abbey. It descends from a charity school founded by Westminster Benedictines before the Norman Conquest, as do ...

and graduated from

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any ...

in 1808 as a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...

. He succeeded his father as duke in 1839. Francis7thDukeOfBedfordByStephensTavistock

Career

As Marquess of Tavistock he was appointed joint Lieutenant-Colonel (with Samuel Whitbread) of the 1st Bedfordshire Local Militia in 1808.Burgoyne, Lt-Col Sir John M. Burgoyne, Bart, ''Regimental Records of the Bedfordshire Militia 1759–1884'', London: W.H. Allen, 1884, pp. 56–8. He entered the

British House of Commons The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the upper house, the House of Lords, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. The House of Commons is an elected body consisting of 650 memb ...

in 1809, sitting as a Member of Parliament for

Peterborough Peterborough ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in the City of Peterborough district in the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Cambridgeshire, England. The city is north of London, on the River Nene. A ...

for the next three years. Subsequently, Russell represented

Bedfordshire Bedfordshire (; abbreviated ''Beds'') is a Ceremonial County, ceremonial county in the East of England. It is bordered by Northamptonshire to the north, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Hertfordshire to the south and the south-east, and Buckin ...

until 1832. In the following year, he was summoned to the

House of Lords The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...

in his father's junior title Baron Howland of Streatham by a

writ of acceleration A writ in acceleration, commonly called a writ of acceleration, is a type of writ of summons that enabled the eldest son and heir apparent of a peer with more than one peerage to attend the British or Irish House of Lords, using one of his fathe ...

. Russell was sworn into the Privy Council on 6 July 1846 and was invested as a Knight of the

Order of the Garter The Most Noble Order of the Garter is an order of chivalry founded by Edward III of England in 1348. The most senior order of knighthood in the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British honours system, it is outranked in ...

on 26 March 1847. He was made a Special Deputy Warden of the Stannaries in 1852 and was appointed

Lord Lieutenant of Bedfordshire This is a list of people who have served as Lord Lieutenant of Bedfordshire. Since 1711, all Lords Lieutenant have also been Custos Rotulorum of Bedfordshire. * William Parr, 1st Marquess of Northampton 1549–1551 *Oliver St John, 1st Baron ...

in 1859, a post he held until his death in 1861.

Family

Russell was the elder brother of John Russell, 1st Earl Russell, who was twice Prime Minister of Britain. On 8 August 1808, he married Lady Anna Stanhope, daughter of Charles Stanhope, 3rd Earl of Harrington, and had a son by her. Russell died in 1861, aged 73, and was buried on 22 May at the ‘Bedford Chapel’ of St. Michael's Church at Chenies,

Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire (, abbreviated ''Bucks'') is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-east, Hertfordshir ...

. He was succeeded in his titles by his only son

William William is a masculine given name of Germanic languages, Germanic origin. It became popular in England after the Norman Conquest, Norman conquest in 1066,All Things William"Meaning & Origin of the Name"/ref> and remained so throughout the Middle ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bedford, Francis Russell, 7th Duke of 1788 births 1861 deaths Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge 407 F Knights of the Garter Lord-lieutenants of Bedfordshire Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom Tavistock, Francis Russell, Marquess of Russell, Francis Bedfordshire Militia officers UK MPs 1807–1812 UK MPs 1812–1818 UK MPs 1818–1820 UK MPs 1820–1826 UK MPs 1826–1830 UK MPs 1830–1831 UK MPs 1831–1832 Bedford, D7 Whig (British political party) MPs for English constituencies