Tuesday 26 November 2013
329 Lord Arthur Russell
Constituency : Tavistock 1857-85
Arthur was a cousin of the Duke of Bedford and nephew to Lord John Russell. He was educated in Germany. From 1849 to 1854 he acted as his uncle's private secretary. He was elected for the family borough of Tavistock in 1857.
Arthur rarely spoke in the Commons. He was involved in the "Tea Room Mutiny" of 1867.
In 1872 Arthur's brother Francis became Duke of Bedford and he was then known as Lord Arthur. He was a great club man and served on the Senate of the University of London from 1875 to his death. His wife Laura was an artist and donated a number of portraits to Tavistock Town Hall. He was touted to succeed his brother Odo as ambassador to Berlin when the latter died in 1884 but it didn't happen.
He stepped down in 1885. He wrote in 1886 that it was useless to argue with Gladstone and became a Liberal Unionist..
He died in 1892 aged 67. Mountstuart Duff in his obituary wrote he was "for his whole career and up to his last hour... a very strong Liberal".
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