John Russell, 4th Duke of Bedford

John Russell 4th Duke of Bedford

Coat of arms of John Russell, 4th Duke of Bedford

John Russell, 4th Duke of Bedford KG , PC , FRS (born October 30, 1710 in Streatham , † November 15, 1771 in Woburn , Bedfordshire ) was a British nobleman and politician.

Life

He was the youngest son of Wriothesley Russell, 2nd Duke of Bedford , and his consort Elizabeth Howland, heir to John Howland, lord of Streatham, Surrey . As the younger son of a duke , he had been the courtesy "Lord" John Russell from birth . When his older brother Wriothesley Russell, 3rd Duke of Bedford , died childless in 1732 , he inherited his title of nobility as Duke of Bedford and thereby became a member of the House of Lords . In 1742 he was accepted as a Fellow in the Royal Society and in 1749 as a Knight Companion in the Order of the Garter.

On the occasion of the Jacobite Rebellion of 1745, he equipped an infantry regiment, the 68th Regiment of Foot or Duke Bedford's Regiment , at his own expense , which he led personally as a Colonel . The regiment arrived shortly after the decisive battle at Culloden in Scotland and was disbanded for the time being at the end of 1746. In 1758 he was promoted to colonel in the East Devon Militia and in 1755 to major-general and in 1759 to lieutenant-general .

As a British statesman, he was one of the most prominent opponents of Prime Minister Robert Walpole . Under Prime Minister Henry Pelham he was First Lord of the Admiralty from December 1744 to February 1748 and became a member of the Privy Council in December 1744 . From May to August 1745 he also held the office of Lord Justice of the Realm . From 1745 to 1771 he was Lord Lieutenant of Bedfordshire , from 1751 to 1771 Lord Lieutenant of Devon and from 1756 to 1761 also Lord Lieutenant of Ireland . At the coronation of King George III. he served as Lord High Constable in 1761 . From 1761 to 1763 he was also Lord Seal Keeper (1761–1763) From 1762 to 1763 he was British Ambassador to France , where he played a key role in the negotiations to end the Seven Years' War . From 1763 to 1765 he was Lord President of the Council . From 1765 to 1771 he was also Chancellor of the University of Dublin .

Marriages and offspring

In 1731 he married Lady Diane Spencer (around 1710-1735), daughter of Charles Spencer, 3rd Earl of Sunderland , who brought him a significant fortune. With her he had a son who, however, died on the day of his birth:

John Russell, Marquess of Tavistock (* / † 1732).

In 1737 he married Lady Gertrude Leveson-Gower (1715–1794), daughter of John Leveson-Gower, 1st Earl Gower . With her he had two more children:

Francis Russell, Marquess of Tavistock (1738–1767), MP, ⚭ 1764 Lady Elizabeth Keppel (1739–1768), daughter of William Keppel, 2nd Earl of Albemarle ;
Lady Caroline Russell (1743–1811) ⚭ 1762 George Spencer, 4th Duke of Marlborough .

Since he survived his son Francis, his title of nobility fell in 1771 to his eldest son Francis Russell (1765-1802) as the 5th Duke of Bedford.

literature

George Edward Cokayne , Vicary Gibbs (Eds.): The Complete Peerage . Volume 2, Alan Sutton Publishing, Gloucester 2000, pp. 82-84.
William Hunt: Russell, John (1710-1771) . In: Sidney Lee (Ed.): Dictionary of National Biography . Volume 49: Robinson - Russell. , MacMillan & Co, Smith, Elder & Co., New York City / London 1897, pp. 447 - 452 (English).

Web links

Lt.-Gen. John Russell, 4th Duke of Bedford on thepeerage.com
Bedford, Duke of (E, 1694) at Cracroft's Peerage

Individual evidence

^ ^A ^b Arthur Swinson: A Register of the Regiments and Corps of the British Army. The Archive Press, London 1972, ISBN 0-85591-000-3 , pp. 167-168.
↑ London Gazette . No. 9459, HMSO, London, March 15, 1755, p. 2 ( PDF , English).
↑ London Gazette . No. 9871, HMSO, London, February 17, 1759, p. 1 ( PDF , English).
^ Frederick M. Powicke, Edmund B. Fryde (Eds.): Handbook of British Chronology. Royal Historical Society, London 1961, p. 134.
^ Frederick M. Powicke, Edmund B. Fryde (Eds.): Handbook of British Chronology. Royal Historical Society, London 1961, p. 165.
^ Frederick M. Powicke, Edmund B. Fryde (Eds.): Handbook of British Chronology. Royal Historical Society, London 1961, p. 95.
^ Frederick M. Powicke, Edmund B. Fryde (Eds.): Handbook of British Chronology. Royal Historical Society, London 1961, p. 137.

predecessor	Office	successor
Wriothesley Russell	Duke of Bedford 1732-1771	Francis Russell
Daniel Finch	First Lord of the Admiralty 1744–1748	John Montagu
William Cavendish	Lord Lieutenant of Ireland 1757–1761	George Montagu-Dunk
Richard Grenville-Temple	Lord seal keeper 1761–1763	George Spencer
Hans Stanley (Chargé d'affaires)	British ambassador to France 1762–1763	Francis Seymour-Conway
John Carteret	Lord President of the Council 1763-1765	Daniel Finch

personal data
SURNAME	Russell, John, 4th Duke of Bedford
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Russell, John
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	British nobleman and politician
DATE OF BIRTH	October 30, 1710
PLACE OF BIRTH	Streatham
DATE OF DEATH	November 15, 1771
Place of death	Woburn

[swinson-1] A ^b Arthur Swinson: A Register of the Regiments and Corps of the British Army. The Archive Press, London 1972, ISBN 0-85591-000-3 , pp. 167-168.

[2] London Gazette . No. 9459, HMSO, London, March 15, 1755, p. 2 ( PDF , English).

[3] London Gazette . No. 9871, HMSO, London, February 17, 1759, p. 1 ( PDF , English).

[4] Frederick M. Powicke, Edmund B. Fryde (Eds.): Handbook of British Chronology. Royal Historical Society, London 1961, p. 134.

[5] Frederick M. Powicke, Edmund B. Fryde (Eds.): Handbook of British Chronology. Royal Historical Society, London 1961, p. 165.

[6] Frederick M. Powicke, Edmund B. Fryde (Eds.): Handbook of British Chronology. Royal Historical Society, London 1961, p. 95.

[7] Frederick M. Powicke, Edmund B. Fryde (Eds.): Handbook of British Chronology. Royal Historical Society, London 1961, p. 137.