John Russell, 6th Duke Of Bedford

John Russell, 6th Duke of Bedford (6 July 1766 – 20 October 1839), known as Lord John Russell until 1802, was a British politician affiliated with the Whig party. He served notably as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland during the Ministry of All the Talents and was the father of Prime Minister John Russell, 1st Earl Russell.

**Background**

Born in 1766, Bedford was a younger son of Francis Russell, Marquess of Tavistock, who was the eldest son and heir of John Russell, 4th Duke of Bedford. His mother was Lady Elizabeth, the youngest child of Willem van Keppel, 2nd Earl of Albemarle, and Lady Anne Lennox.

**Political Career**

Following the tradition of the Russell family, Bedford was associated with the Whigs. He represented Tavistock as a Member of Parliament from 1788 to June 1790 and again from December 1790 until 1802, at which point he was automatically elevated to the House of Lords upon the death of his elder brother.

He held the position of Lord Lieutenant of Ireland during the Whig government in 1806–1807. Bedford was a supporter of Bonapartism and opposed the Peninsular War, considering it unwinnable and unwarranted. He, along with his son, funded various anti-war publications. In recognition of his service, he was sworn into the Privy Council in 1806 and was appointed a Knight of the Garter in 1830.

**Family**

In 1786, Bedford married the Hon. Georgiana Byng, daughter of George Byng, 4th Viscount Torrington. The marriage lasted fifteen years and produced three sons: Francis Russell, who became the 7th Duke of Bedford; Lord George William Russell; and Lord John Russell, who later served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and was the grandfather of philosopher Bertrand Russell. Georgiana died in October 1801.

In 1803, Bedford married Lady Georgiana Gordon, daughter of Alexander Gordon, 4th Duke of Gordon. They had ten children, including Reverend Lord Wriothesley Russell, Admiral Lord Edward Russell, Lieutenant-Colonel Lord Charles James Fox Russell, Lady Georgiana Elizabeth Russell, Lady Louisa Jane Russell, Lord Cosmo Russell, General Lord Alexander Russell, and Lady Rachel Evelyn Russell.

The Duchess of Bedford was known as a patroness of the arts and maintained a long-standing relationship with painter Sir Edwin Landseer, who was twenty years her junior. Their marriage was regarded as a harmonious one.

**Glen Feshie**

In 1818, the Duke and Duchess leased the Invereshie shootings in Badenoch from George Macpherson Grant of Ballindalloch, establishing a lasting association with Glen Feshie. The Duke built a timber shooting lodge at Ruigh Fionntaig in the upper glen. In 1829, the family moved to Mackintosh-owned shootings on the east side of the glen, basing themselves at Doune House of Rothiemurchus. The Duke focused on livestock breeding and botanical collection during this period.

**Bedford Lodge**

In 1823, the 6th Duke leased a house on Campden Hill, Kensington, designed and built by John Tasker. The residence, originally a Regency villa, was expanded by architect Jeffry Wyatt, who had previously collaborated with him on Woburn Abbey. Bedford Lodge became a prominent social location. After the Duke’s death in 1839, his widow continued residing there, hosting social gatherings. The Duchess of Bedford's Walk in Kensington is named in her honor. After her death in 1853, the house was renamed Argyll Lodge by the eighth Duke of Argyll, who retained it until 1900.

**References**

External links include contributions by the Duke of Bedford to Hansard, the official report of debates in Parliament, spanning from 1803 to 2005.