Tuesday, 31 December 2013
371 Sir William Russell
Constituency : Dover 1857-9, Norwich 1860-74
In 1860 the whole result at Norwich was voided for corruption and the two MPs Henry Schneider and Viscount Bury were ejected. However they were both replaced by fellow Liberals in the by-election.
Sir William was a baronet's son. The family had an estate near Cheltenham.He joined the army in 1841 and rose through the ranks to become a Lieutenant-General. He served in the Crimea and during the Indian Rebellion. He was first elected for Dover in 1859 but defeated two years later.
Sir William was a railway promoter looking to move eastwards from Cheltenham but his big plans were not successful. In 1870 he suffered a financial disaster when his company's scheme to reclaim some land on the Essex coast and fertilise it with London sewage failed to attract public support. He avoided formal bankruptcy but was stripped of almost all his posssessions including the family estate.
Sir William retired in 1874.
He died in 1892 aged 69.
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