Sir George Russell, 4th Baronet (23 August 1828 – 7 March 1898) was a British

barrister A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdiction (area), jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include arguing cases in courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, jurisprud ...

, judge, and

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

politician who sat in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...

from 1885 to 1898.

Early life

Russell was the third son of Sir Henry Russell, 2nd Baronet and his wife Marie Clotilde Mottet de la Fontaine, a daughter of Baron

Benoît Mottet de La Fontaine Benoît Mottet de La Fontaine (4 July 1745 – 30 April 1820) was a French officier de plume of the Ministry of the Navy (France), Ministry of the Navy and Colonies and was a colonial administrator in French India. Early life Mottet was born o ...

. He was educated at

Eton Eton most commonly refers to Eton College, a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. Eton may also refer to: Places *Eton, Berkshire, a town in Berkshire, England *Eton, Georgia, a town in the United States *Éton, a commune in the Meuse depa ...

and

Exeter College, Oxford Exeter College (in full: The Rector and Scholars of Exeter College in the University of Oxford) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England, and the fourth-oldest college of the university. The college was founde ...

. He was called to the bar at

Lincoln's Inn The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn, commonly known as Lincoln's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court (professional associations for Barrister, barristers and judges) in London. To be called to the bar in order to practise as a barrister ...

in 1853 and went to the

Oxford Circuit The assizes (), or courts of assize, were periodic courts held around England and Wales until 1972, when together with the quarter sessions they were abolished by the Courts Act 1971 and replaced by a single permanent Crown Court. The assizes ex ...

. In 1862 he became recorder of Wokingham.Mosley, Charles, editor. ''Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th edition, 3 volumes.''

Wilmington, Delaware Wilmington is the List of municipalities in Delaware, most populous city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish colonization of the Americas, Swedish settlement in North America. It lie ...

Burke's Peerage Burke's Peerage Limited is a British genealogical publisher, considered an authority on the order of precedence of noble families and information on the lesser nobility of the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1826, when the Anglo-Irish genea ...

(Genealogical Books) Ltd, 2003, volume 3, pp. 3442-3443.

Career

He was a County Court Judge of County Circuit No. 19 from 1866 to 1874, and of Circuit No. 49 from 1874 to February 1884. He succeeded his brother

Charles Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''* ...

as 4th baronet in 1883. In the 1885 general election, Russell was elected the Conservative Member of Parliament (MP) for

Wokingham Wokingham ( ) is a market town and civil parish in Berkshire, England. It is the main administrative centre of the wider Borough of Wokingham. At the 2021 census the parish had a population of 38,284 and the wider built-up area had a populati ...

. He served until his death at the age of 69 in 1898. Russell was elected Chairman of the South Eastern Railway (SER) on 24 January 1895, and served in that post until his death on 7 March 1898, being replaced by

Cosmo Bonsor Sir Henry Cosmo Orme Bonsor, 1st Baronet, DL (2 September 1848 – 4 December 1929) was an English brewer and businessman and a Conservative politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1885 to 1900. Biography Bonsor was born in Polesden Lace ...

. During Russell's short term as chairman, the SER began to work more closely with its rivals. The ''Railway Times'' remarked

Personal life

Russell married Constance Charlotte Elisa Lennox, daughter of Lord Arthur Lennox in 1871. He was succeeded in the baronetcy by his son George. They lived at

Swallowfield Park Swallowfield Park is a Grade II* listed building, listed stately home and Estate (house), estate in the England, English county of Berkshire. The house is near the village of Swallowfield, some 4 miles south of the town of Reading, Berkshire, Re ...

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; abbreviated ), officially the Royal County of Berkshire, is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Oxfordshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the north-east, Greater London ...

. Their children were: * Marie Clothilde Russell (d. 1953), who married the Hon. Ernest Guinness, second son of

Edward Guinness, 1st Earl of Iveagh Edward Cecil Guinness, 1st Earl of Iveagh, (10 November 1847 – 7 October 1927) was an Anglo-Irish people, Anglo-Irish businessman and philanthropist. A member of the prominent Guinness family, he was the head of the family's eponymous Guinnes ...

. * Sir George Arthur Charles Russell, 5th Baronet (1868–1944) *

Sir Arthur Edward Ian Montagu Russell, 6th Baronet Sir Arthur Edward Ian Montague Russell, 6th Baronet (30 November 1878 – 24 February 1964) was a British mineralogist. He was a collector and a collector of collections. Biography He was born in Swallowfield Park, near Reading, in Berkshire, ...

(1878–1964) Sir George died on 7 March 1898.

References

*''Burkes Peerage'' (1939 edition)

External links

* 1828 births 1898 deaths 19th-century English judges Alumni of Exeter College, Oxford Baronets in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies County Court judges (England and Wales) English barristers Members of Lincoln's Inn People educated at Eton College People from Swallowfield UK MPs 1885–1886 UK MPs 1886–1892 UK MPs 1892–1895 UK MPs 1895–1900 {{England-Conservative-UK-MP-1820s-stub