Arthur Oliver Villiers Russell, 2nd Baron Ampthill, (19 February 1869 – 7 July 1935) was a British peer and civil servant. He served as Governor of Madras from October 1900 to February 1906, and as acting

Viceroy of India The governor-general of India (1833 to 1950, from 1858 to 1947 the viceroy and governor-general of India, commonly shortened to viceroy of India) was the representative of the monarch of the United Kingdom in their capacity as the Emperor of ...

from April to December 1904. Russell served as the Assistant Private Secretary to

Joseph Chamberlain Joseph Chamberlain (8 July 1836 – 2 July 1914) was a British statesman who was first a radical Liberal Party (UK), Liberal, then a Liberal Unionist after opposing home rule for Ireland, and eventually was a leading New Imperialism, imperial ...

from 1895 -1897, and as Private Secretary to the same from 1897 to 1900, when he was appointed Governor of Madras. Russell also served as the Viceroy of India from April 1904 to December 1904, when

Lord Curzon George Nathaniel Curzon, 1st Marquess Curzon of Kedleston (11 January 1859 – 20 March 1925), known as Lord Curzon (), was a British statesman, Conservative Party (UK), Conservative politician, explorer and writer who served as Viceroy of India ...

periodically returned to England.

Early life

(Arthur) Oliver Villiers Russell was born on 19 February 1869 in

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

. He was the eldest son of Odo Russell, 1st Baron Ampthill, and Lady Emily Theresa (née Villiers), who was Lady of the Bedchamber to

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...

and daughter of the 4th

Earl of Clarendon Earl of Clarendon is a title that has been created twice in British history, in 1661 and 1776. The family seat is Holywell House, near Swanmore, Hampshire. First creation of the title The title was created for the first time in the Peer ...

. Russell succeeded to the barony of Ampthill at the age of 15 on the death of his father. He was educated at Chignell's,

Eton College Eton College ( ) is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school providing boarding school, boarding education for boys aged 13–18, in the small town of Eton, Berkshire, Eton, in Berkshire, in the United Kingdom. It has educated Prime Mini ...

, and

New College, Oxford New College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1379 by Bishop William of Wykeham in conjunction with Winchester College as New College's feeder school, New College was one of the first col ...

, from which he graduated in 1892 with a third-class honours in modern history. He rowed with the Oxford crew that won the 1890

Boat Race The Boat Race is an annual set of rowing races between the Cambridge University Boat Club and the Oxford University Boat Club, traditionally rowed between open-weight eights on the River Thames in London, England. It is also known as the Uni ...

. His entry in ''Vanity Fair'' noted of him: New College garden front Oxford England

He was commissioned into the part-time Royal 1st Devon Yeomanry as a Second lieutenant on 30 January 1892 and was promoted to

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

on 21 March 1893. He left in 1897.''Burke's'', 'Ampthill'.''Army List'', various dates.

Political career

In 1895, Russell was appointed Assistant Secretary to the Colonial Secretary,

: in 1897, he was promoted to Private Secretary, but did not continue in this position as a consequence of his sympathy with the natives of South- and East- Africa, and of India.

Governor of Madras

Russell was appointed Governor of the

Madras Presidency The Madras Presidency or Madras Province, officially called the Presidency of Fort St. George until 1937, was an administrative subdivision (province) of British India and later the Dominion of India. At its greatest extent, the presidency i ...

on 5September 1900, when he was aged 31 years. He served in this position from 1900 to 1906: his tenure was almost contemporaneous with Lord Curzon's Viceregality. As Governor of Madras, Ampthill he inaugurated the King Institute in Madras; the Rangaraya Medical College in Cocanada, on 4 December 1903; and the Cochin State Forest Tramway, the latter on 3October 1905. During Russell's tenure, sympathy for the Oriya Movement for the creation of a separate province of Orissa increased: Russell opposed the demands for the separation of the Oriya-speaking tracts of Vizagapatam and Ganjam districts from Madras.

Viceroy of India

When Lord Curzon's tenure came to an end in 1904, Russell was chosen to act as the Viceroy of India until the appointment of a new Viceroy. Russell served from April to December 1904 as Viceroy of India. During his tenure, the proponents of a separate province of Orissa submitted a petition to this effect to Russell. However, Russell rejected all demands to create a separate province of Orissa and include areas from Madras Presidency in it. As Viceroy, Russell was loyal to Curzon and successfully countered the efforts of

St John Brodrick, 1st Earl of Midleton William St John Fremantle Brodrick, 1st Earl of Midleton, KP, PC, DL (14 December 185613 February 1942), styled as St John Brodrick until 1907 and as Viscount Midleton between 1907 and 1920, was a British Conservative and Irish Unionist Al ...

, the

Secretary of State for India His (or Her) Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for India, known for short as the India secretary or the Indian secretary, was the British Cabinet minister and the political head of the India Office responsible for the governance of ...

, who wanted to introduce anti-Curzon policies. However, he was unsuccessful against Lord Kitchener, who tightened his stranglehold over the military department.

Later life

On returning to England in 1906, Russell took up the cause of Indians in South Africa. He chaired an advisory committee on Indian students in the United Kingdom but disagreed with the

John Morley John Morley, 1st Viscount Morley of Blackburn, (24 December 1838 – 23 September 1923), was a British Liberal statesman, writer and newspaper editor. Initially a journalist in the North of England and then editor of the newly Liberal-leani ...

on the issue of constitutional reforms. In 1909, Russell wrote an introduction to Joseph Doke's book ''M. K. Gandhi: an Indian Patriot in South Africa''. On 13July 1909, Lord Ampthill was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant of

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 ...

. On his return to England in 1906 he was commissioned as a

Major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

in the 3rd (Bedfordshire Militia) Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment commanded by his kinsman Herbrand Russell, 11th Duke of Bedford. On 21 June 1908 the militia regiment became part of the

Special Reserve The Special Reserve was established on 1 April 1908 with the function of maintaining a reservoir of manpower for the British Army and training replacement drafts in times of war. Its formation was part of the military reforms implemented by Ri ...

and on that day he succeeded the Duke as Lieutenant-Colonel in command. The 3rd (Reserve) Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment was mobilised under Ampthill's command on the outbreak of

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

and carried out its wartime role of training reinforcements for the Bedfordshire Regiment. Meanwhile, Ampthill commanded the 8th (Service) Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment, and 13th (Labour) Battalion, Leicestershire Regiment. He was twice

mentioned in dispatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face of t ...

and promoted to Brevet

Colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

for his war services. He became Honorary Colonel of 3rd Bedfords after the war. He was one of the co-founders of the National Party in 1917. Lord Ampthill was President of The Magic Circle.

Death

Lord Ampthill died of pneumonia 7July 1935, a day before Nickalls, prompting the following anonymous epigram among the various tributes in ''The Times'':

''Oarsmen they lived, and silver goblets mark''
''The well-timed prowess of their trusty blades:''
''In death their rhythm kept, they now embark''
''To row their long last course among the Shades''

Family

On 6 October 1894, Ampthill married Lady Margaret Lygon, the daughter of the 6th Earl Beauchamp in Madresfield, Worcestershire, and they had five children: *

John Russell, 3rd Baron Ampthill Captain John Hugo Russell, 3rd Baron Ampthill (4 October 1896 – 3 June 1973) was a British peer who served in the Royal Navy in both the First and Second The second (symbol: s) is a unit of time derived from the division of the day fi ...

(1896–1973) * Adm Sir Guy Russell (1898–1977) * Phyllis Margaret Russell, OBE (3 June 1900 – c. 24 May 1998) * Wg Cdr Edward Wriothesley Curzon Russell, OBE (2 June 1901 – 1982). * Brig Leopold Oliver Russell, CBE, TD (26 January 1907 – 1988) He was succeeded in the barony by his eldest son, John Russell.

Rowing

Lord Ampthill started rowing at Eton. His record of rowing was one of the longest of his time at Eton and he first had an oar in the Dreadnought on 1 March 1885, going on to be Captain of the Boats in 1887 and 1888. Whilst at New College, Oxford Ampthill rowed for

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

three times against

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...

the Boat Race The Boat Race is an annual set of rowing races between the Cambridge University Boat Club and the Oxford University Boat Club, traditionally rowed between open-weight eights on the River Thames in London, England. It is also known as the U ...

(1889 to 1891), winning twice. He was president of both OUBC and the

Oxford Union The Oxford Union Society, commonly referred to as the Oxford Union, is a debating society in the city of Oxford, England, whose membership is drawn primarily from the University of Oxford. Founded in 1823, it is one of Britain's oldest unive ...

in 1891. After Oxford, he rowed for

Leander Club Leander Club, founded in 1818, is one of the oldest rowing clubs in the world, and the oldest non-academic club. It is based in Remenham in Berkshire, England and adjoins Henley-on-Thames. Only three other surviving clubs were founded prior ...

for a short while then moved to

London Rowing Club London Rowing Club (LRC, or colloquially, 'London') is the second-oldest of the non-academic active rowing clubs on the Thames in London, United Kingdom. It was founded in 1856 by members of the long-disbanded Argonauts Club wishing to compete ...

, becoming club president in 1893, a position he remained in for almost 40 years until his death in 1935. Ampthill raced in the Ladies' Challenge Plate at

Henley Royal Regatta Henley Royal Regatta (or Henley Regatta, its original name pre-dating Royal patronage) is a Rowing (sport), rowing event held annually on the River Thames by the town of Henley-on-Thames, England. It was established on 26 March 1839. It diffe ...

for Eton in 1886, 1887 and 1888. In 1889 he raced both the

Grand Challenge Cup The Grand Challenge Cup is a rowing (sport), rowing competition for men's eight (rowing), eights. It is the oldest and best-known event at the annual Henley Royal Regatta on the River Thames at Henley-on-Thames in England. It is open to male cr ...

and the Silver Goblets, losing in the final of the latter by 2-foot to CUBC in a race which the Henley records for the year describe as "One of the best and closest races ever seen" . In 1890 he again competed in both events, this time racing under New College colours, and collected his first Henley medal, rowing with Guy Nickalls in the Goblets. In 1891, racing this time as Leander, Lord Ampthill was in the crew which won the

, setting a new course record. He also repeated his Goblets win, again with Guy Nickalls. Lord Ampthill was elected a Steward of Henley Royal Regatta in 1896, a role he performed until 1900 then again from 1910 until 1927.

Henley wins

*1890 – Silver Goblets (rowing as Oxford University Boat Club, with Guy Nickalls) *1891 –

(rowing as Leander Club) *1891 – Silver Goblets (rowing as Leander Club, with Guy Nickalls)

International Olympic Committee

Between 1894 and 1898, Lord Ampthill was a member of the original

International Olympic Committee The International Olympic Committee (IOC; , CIO) is the international, non-governmental, sports governing body of the modern Olympic Games. Founded in 1894 by Pierre de Coubertin and Demetrios Vikelas, it is based i ...

Freemasonry

Ampthill was initiated into Apollo University Lodge No. 357, Oxford, in 1890. He went on to take the chair in several lodges, including Bard of Avon Lodge No. 778, Hampton Court; Royal Alpha Lodge No. 16, London; and Grand Master's Lodge No. 1, London. He was appointed Provincial Grand Master of Bedfordshire in 1900 and as District Grand Master of Madras from 1901 to 1906. He served as Pro Grand Master of

United Grand Lodge of England The United Grand Lodge of England (UGLE) is the governing Masonic lodge for the majority of freemasons in England, Wales, and the Commonwealth of Nations. Claiming descent from the Masonic Grand Lodge formed 24 June 1717 at the Goose & Gridiron ...

from 1908 until his death in 1935. Lodge Ampthill No.3682 was consecrated in his name in 1914, and continues to meet in

Coimbatore Coimbatore (Tamil: kōyamputtūr, ), also known as Kovai (), is one of the major Metropolitan cities of India, metropolitan cities in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located on the banks of the Noyy ...

, India, under the District Grand Lodge of Madras of

. Its celebrated its Centenary year in 2014.

Honours

After his appointment as Governor of Madras, Russell was appointed a Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire (GCIE) on 28 December 1900, shortly before his departure for India. He was later appointed a Knight Grand Commander of the Star of India (GCSI) on 2 September 1904.

References

Bibliography

* ''Burke's Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage,'' 100th Edn, London, 1953. * * * * * * * * * * The ''London Gazette'' * ''The New York Times'', 2 December 1906, p. 1

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ampthill, Oliver Russell, 2nd Baron Alumni of New College, Oxford English male rowers British male rowers 2 Royal 1st Devon Yeomanry officers Bedfordshire Militia officers Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment officers Royal Leicestershire Regiment officers British Army personnel of World War I Deputy lieutenants of Bedfordshire Governors of Madras Knights Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of India Knights Grand Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire 1869 births 1935 deaths Russell, Oliver O British International Olympic Committee members Ampthill British Army colonels Members of Leander Club Oxford University Boat Club rowers Freemasons of the United Grand Lodge of England Presidents of the Oxford Union Military personnel from Rome