Lord George Russell

Major-General Lord George William Russell (8 May 1790 – 16 July 1846) was a British military officer, politician, and diplomat. He was the second son of John Russell, 6th Duke of Bedford, and Hon. Georgiana Byng, daughter of George Byng, 4th Viscount Torrington. His elder brother was John Russell, who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and was associated with the Whig and Liberal political parties.

Born on 8 May 1790, Lord George Russell received education from Dr. Moore at Sunbury, Westminster School, and the Reverend John Smith at Woodnesborough.

In his military career, Russell attained the rank of lieutenant in the 1st Dragoon Guards. He participated in the Copenhagen Expedition in 1807, serving as aide-de-camp (ADC) to Sir George Ludlow. During the Peninsular War, he fought at the Battle of Talavera on 27 July 1809, where he was wounded. In 1810, he served as ADC to General Thomas Graham and participated in the Battle of Barossa in 1811. Subsequently, he served as ADC to Viscount Wellington (later the Duke of Wellington) in 1812 and again in 1817, when Wellington was serving as Ambassador in Paris.

From 1812 to 1830, Lord George Russell served as Member of Parliament for Bedford, following in the political footsteps of his brother. He was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) in 1831. His diplomatic postings included Minister to Lisbon in August 1833, Minister to Württemberg in November 1833, and Ambassador to Berlin in 1835. He was elevated to a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath (GCB) in 1838. In November 1841, he achieved the rank of major-general.

On 21 June 1817, Lord George Russell married Elizabeth Anne Rawdon (1793–1874), daughter of Frances Hall-Stevenson and Captain the Hon. John Theophilus Rawdon of Bolney Court. Elizabeth was a niece of Francis Rawdon-Hastings, 1st Marquess of Hastings. Their children included:

- Blanche Russell (1818–1818), who died young.

- Francis Charles Hastings Russell (1819–1891), who became the 9th Duke of Bedford and married Lady Elizabeth Sackville-West in 1844.

- Lord Arthur John Edward Russell (1825–1892), a Whig and Liberal Member of Parliament for Tavistock, who married Laura de Peyronnet in 1865.

- Odo William Leopold Russell (1829–1884), the 1st Baron Ampthill, a diplomat and the first British Ambassador to the German Empire, married Lady Emily Theresa Villiers in 1868.

Lord George William Russell died in Genoa on 16 July 1846.