Russell family became one of England’s most famous families. Its best-known members included Bertrand Russell, a mathematician and philosopher, and Lord John Russell, a prime minister (see Russell, Bertrand; Russell, Lord John). Several other members became prominent in politics.
John Russell (1486?-1555) distinguished himself as a soldier and diplomat during the reign of King Henry VIII. In 1549, he was made the first Earl of Bedford. Francis Russell (1593-1641) played an important part in Parliament’s struggle to limit the power of King Charles I. William Russell (1613-1700) switched his support from Parliament to Charles I and then back to Parliament during the English Civil War in the 1640’s.
Hastings William Sackville Russell (1888-1953) was a pacifist. He defended some of Adolf Hitler’s policies during World War II (1939-1945). John Robert Russell (1917-2002) was a journalist and farmer in South Africa. He made his land at Woburn a public park in 1955.
