John Russell (New York politician)

John Russell (September 7, 1772 – August 2, 1842) was an American doctor, merchant and a United States Representative from New York.

John Russell
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 14th district
In office March 4, 1805 – March 3, 1809
Preceded by	Erastus Root
Succeeded by	Vincent Mathews
Personal details
Born	September 7, 1772 Branford, Connecticut Colony, British America
Died	August 2, 1842 (aged 69) Cooperstown, New York, U.S.
Political party	Democratic-Republican
Spouse(s)	Elizabeth Williams ​ ​ (died 1838)​
Relations	Rensselaer Nelson (grandson)
Children	Rensselear William Russell Catharine Ann Russell
Parents	Ebenezer Russell Elizabeth Stork Russell

Early life

Russell was born in Branford in the Connecticut Colony on September 7, 1772.[1] He was the second son of Federalist New York State Senator and Assemblyman Ebenezer Russell and Elizabeth (née Stork) Russell (a daughter of Capt. Moses Stork). His paternal grandparents were Mary (née Barker) Russell and John Russell.[2]

He attended the public school, moved to New York State, studied medicine, and practiced a short time in Cooperstown, New York.[1]

Career

He was county clerk of Otsego County from 1801 to 1804, and was elected as a Democratic-Republican to the Ninth and Tenth Congresses, holding office from March 4, 1805 to March 3, 1809. While in Congress, Russell missed 53 of 393 roll call votes.[3]

After he left Congress, he was a presidential elector on the DeWitt Clinton ticket in 1812. He engaged in mercantile pursuits.[1]

Personal life

Russell was married to Elizabeth Williams (1769–1838), daughter of Rensselaer Williams, a Justice of the Peace who was the librarian of the Trenton Library Company and was one of the founders of the Trenton Academy.[4] Together, they were the parents of:

• Rensselaer William Russell (1803–1825), who attended the Schenectady Academy (today known as Union College) where he was a member of the Philomathean Society.[5][6]
• Catharine Ann Russell (1805–1875), who married, as his second wife, United States Supreme Court Justice Samuel Nelson (1792–1873)[7] in 1825.[8][9]

His wife died on December 25, 1838. He died in Cooperstown on August 2, 1842. His interment was located at its Christ Episcopal Churchyard.[1]

Descendants

Through his daughter Catharine,[10] he was a grandfather of six, including Rensselaer Russell Nelson (1826–1904),[11] a United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Minnesota.[12]

References

1. "RUSSELL, John (1772-1842)". bioguideretro.congress.gov. Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
2. Ro, Lauren (July 25, 2017). "Charming antique colonial with multiple fireplaces wants $670K". Curbed. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
3. "John Russell, former Representative for New York's 14th Congressional District". GovTrack.us. GovTrack. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
4. Hall, John (1859). History of the Presbyterian Church in Trenton, N. J.: From the First Settlement of the Town. Anson D. F. Randolph. p. 252. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
5. "RENSSELAER WILLIAM RUSSELL, 1823, of Cooperstown, N*Y., was a member of the Philomathean Society*". digitalworks.union.edu. Union College. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
6. College), Philomathean Society (Union (1847). Catalogue of the Members of the Philomathean Society, Instituted in Union College, in 1795. Riggs, printer. p. 19. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
7. "OBITUARY | EX-JUDGE SAMUEL NELSON" (PDF). The New York Times. December 14, 1873. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
8. Encyclopedia of Biography of Minnesota: Illustrated with Steel Plate and Copper Plate Engravings. Higginson Book Company. 1900. pp. 462–463. Retrieved November 21, 2017.
9. Rensselaer Russell Nelson at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
10. Revolution, Daughters of the American (1908). Lineage Book - National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Daughters of the American Revolution. p. 332. Retrieved November 21, 2017.
11. Hughes, Thomas Patrick; Munsell, Frank (1888). American Ancestry: Giving Name and Descent, in the Male Line, of Americans Whose Ancestors Settled in the United States Previous to the Declaration of Independence, A. Munsell. p. 184. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
12. "A SURPRISE TO WASHINGTON.; Three Unexpected Nominations Sent to the Senate Yesteraay". The New York Times. May 16, 1896. Retrieved November 21, 2017.

External links

• United States Congress. "John Russell (id: R000529)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
• John Russell at Find a Grave
• Portrait of Catherine Ann Russell Nelson (1798-1875) by Samuel F. B. Morse at the Fenimore Art Museum.