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Lord Alexander Russell

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Lord Alexander Russell

GCB
Birth nameAlexander George Russell
Born(1821-09-16)16 September 1821
Woburn, England
Died10 January 1907(1907-01-10) (aged 85)
Woodeaton, England
Service / branchBritish Army
RankGeneral
UnitRifle Brigade
Battles / warsCrimean War
Spouse(s)
Anne Emily Worsley Holmes
​
​
(m. 1844; died 1906)​

General Lord Alexander George Russell GCB (16 September 1821 – 10 January 1907) was a British Army general. He served during the Siege of Sevastapol in the Crimean War.

Background

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Russell was born at Woburn Abbey, Bedfordshire, the seventh son of John Russell, 6th Duke of Bedford and his second wife, Lady Georgina (or Georgiana) Gordon, daughter of Alexander Gordon, 4th Duke of Gordon, although it has been claimed that Russell's father was actually the Victorian painter Sir Edwin Landseer, who conducted a lengthy affair with the Duchess of Bedford.[1] He was the half-brother of Francis Russell, 7th Duke of Bedford, Lord George Russell and Prime Minister John Russell, 1st Earl Russell and the full brother of Lord Edward Russell and Lord Charles Russell. He had three sisters, including Louisa Hamilton, Duchess of Abercorn.[2]

Military career

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Russell joined the Army on 11 July 1839 when he purchased a commission as a Second Lieutenant in the Rifle Brigade. Russell was a Colonel in the Rifle Brigade and served during the Siege of Sevastapol in the Crimean War. He became General Officer Commanding South-Eastern District in April 1877[3] and Commander of the British Troops in Canada in May 1883[4] and was advanced to Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath (GCB), having previously been a Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB). He was not however styled Sir Alexander Russell since he already held the higher title of Lord due to his father being first a Marquess and later a Duke.

Life

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Russell married Anne Emily Worsley Holmes, daughter of Sir Leonard Worsley Holmes, 9th Baronet, on 3 July 1844. They had two children:

  • Alexander Gordon Russell (11 July 1854 – 4 June 1917); became a captain in the British Army.
  • Leonard George Russell (6 June 1858 – 7 April 1946); became a major in the British Army.

Lady Alexander Russell died in October 1906. Russell survived her by only three months and died at Woodeaton, Oxfordshire, in January 1907, aged 85.[2] She is buried with her husband in the churchyard of St Michael's, Chenies.

Ancestry

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References

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  1. ^ Campbell Lennie, Landseer: The Victorian Paragon (London: Hamilton, 1976), 28.
  2. ^ a b Burke's Genealogical and Heraldic History of Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage. Burke's Peerage Limited. 1914. p. 215. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
  3. ^ "Army Commands" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 2 July 2016.
  4. ^ "No. 25225". The London Gazette. 27 April 1883. p. 2241.
Military offices
Preceded by GOC South-Eastern District
1877–1880 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
Sir Alexander Macdonnell
 Colonel-Commandant of the 2nd Battalion,
The Prince Consort's Own (Rifle Brigade)
1891–1892 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Lieutenant-General Commanding the Troops in Canada
1883–1888 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Colonel of the 8th (The King's) Regiment of Foot
1889–1891 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Colonel-Commandant of the 1st Battalion,
The Prince Consort's Own (Rifle Brigade)
1892–1907 		Succeeded by
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