Francis Russell, 7th Duke Of Bedford

Francis Russell, 7th Duke of Bedford, was born on 13 May 1788 and died on 14 May 1861. He was styled Marquess of Tavistock from 1802 until 1839. He was a member of the British peerage and was associated with the Whig political party.

Background and Education:

He was the son of John Russell, 6th Duke of Bedford, and his first wife, the Honorable Georgiana Byng, who was the second daughter of George Byng, 4th Viscount Torrington. Francis Russell received education at Westminster School and later attended Trinity College, Cambridge, from which he graduated in 1808 with a Master of Arts degree. He inherited the dukedom in 1839 upon the death of his father.

Career:

In 1808, while holding the courtesy title Marquess of Tavistock, he was appointed joint Lieutenant-Colonel of the 1st Bedfordshire Local Militia, serving alongside Samuel Whitbread. The following year, in 1809, he entered the British House of Commons as a Member of Parliament for Peterborough, serving for three years. Subsequently, he represented Bedfordshire as an MP until 1832.

In 1833, he was summoned to the House of Lords through a writ of acceleration in his father's junior title, Baron Howland of Streatham. He was sworn into the Privy Council on 6 July 1846. The following year, on 26 March 1847, he was invested as a Knight of the Order of the Garter. In 1852, he was appointed as a Special Deputy Warden of the Stannaries. Later, in 1859, he was appointed Lord Lieutenant of Bedfordshire, a position he held until his death in 1861.

Family:

Francis Russell was the elder brother of John Russell, 1st Earl Russell, who served as Prime Minister of Great Britain twice. On 8 August 1808, he married Lady Anna Stanhope, daughter of Charles Stanhope, 3rd Earl of Harrington. They had one son, William Russell, who succeeded him as Duke of Bedford.

Death:

He died in 1861 at the age of 73. His burial took place on 22 May at the Bedford Chapel of St. Michael's Church in Chenies, Buckinghamshire.