Frank Russell, 2nd Earl Russell

John Francis Stanley Russell, the 2nd Earl Russell, was born on 12 August 1865 at Alderley Park in Cheshire. He was the eldest son of Viscount and Viscountess Amberley. His paternal grandfather was John Russell, the 1st Earl Russell, who twice served as Prime Minister of Britain and was involved in the passage of the Reform Act 1832. His maternal grandparents were Lord Stanley and Lady Stanley. The family belonged to prominent Whig families known for their political and social influence.

Russell's parents held progressive beliefs, including support for birth control, feminism, and political reforms such as votes for women and the working classes. They engaged in unconventional practices for their time, including the involvement of Douglas Spalding, a marriage tutor of Russell's, in their household life. Both of Russell's parents died young—his mother, the Viscountess Amberley, died of diphtheria in 1876, followed by his father, the Viscount, who died of pneumonia in 1876. After their deaths, Russell was raised by his paternal grandparents, Lord and Lady Russell, at Pembroke House.

Frank Russell was initially educated at Cheam as a boarder from 1876. In 1879, he began attending Winchester College, where he found a positive environment and expressed affection for the school. He was confirmed in 1880 by the Bishop of Winchester and considered Winchester his spiritual home. He developed a close friendship with Lionel Johnson, a future poet and critic, whom he considered the greatest influence in his life at Winchester.

In 1883, Russell entered Balliol College, Oxford, where he studied classics. His academic journey was interrupted when he was expelled from Oxford, possibly due to suspicions regarding his relationship with Lionel Johnson, leading to subsequent resentment toward the institution. During his time away from Oxford, Russell traveled to the United States.

In 1890, Russell married Mabel Edith Scott, his first wife. The marriage was short-lived, ending in separation, with acrimonious litigation that was complicated by the lack of divorce laws at the time. In 1895, Russell was elected to the London County Council, serving until 1904. In 1899, he traveled to Nevada with Mollie Somerville, who would become his second wife, and obtained a divorce from her in Nevada. Both then married each other in Nevada, marking Russell as the first celebrity to obtain a Nevada divorce. Because English law did not recognize this divorce, Russell was charged with bigamy in June 1901. He pleaded guilty before the House of Lords and served a three-month sentence at Holloway Prison. Afterward, he married Mollie under English law following his release and was granted a pardon in 1911.

Beginning in 1902, Russell campaigned for reform of the divorce law, utilizing his peerage seat in the House of Lords. His advocacy met limited success. He was also active as a barrister, defending motorists' rights, and at one point owned the registration number plate A 1. His second marriage ended after he fell in love with novelist Elizabeth von Arnim; they married in 1916, but soon separated without formal divorce. Elizabeth von Arnim caricatured Russell in her novel "Vera," which caused him considerable displeasure.

Russell supported his brother Bertrand Russell during Bertrand’s imprisonment for anti-war activities in 1918. His political alignment shifted toward the Labour Party, and in 1929, he briefly held junior office in Ramsay MacDonald's second government. Russell died on 3 March 1931.

Despite his varied career as a nobleman, barrister, and politician, Russell is less widely known than his brother Bertrand or his grandfather Earl Russell. His marital difficulties earned him the nickname "Wicked Earl."