William Russell (politician, 1782)

Paper cutting by William Russell

William Russell (* 1782 in Ireland , †  September 28, 1845 in Scioto County , Ohio ) was an American politician . Between 1827 and 1833 and again from 1841 to 1843 he represented the state of Ohio in the US House of Representatives .

Career

William Russell came to West Union in what is now Ohio from his Irish homeland in his youth . He received only a limited education and then held some local offices. In 1809 and 1810, and from 1811 to 1813, he was a member of the Ohio House of Representatives . Between 1819 and 1821 he was a member of the State Senate . In the 1820s he joined the movement around the future President Andrew Jackson and became a member of the Democratic Party founded by this in 1828 .

In the congressional election of 1826 Russell was elected to the United States House of Representatives in Washington, DC in the fifth constituency of Ohio , where he succeeded John Wilson Campbell on March 4, 1827 . After two re-elections, he was able to complete three legislative terms in Congress by March 3, 1833 . Since President Jackson took office in 1829, there has been heated debate inside and outside of Congress about its policies. It was about the controversial enforcement of the Indian Removal Act , the conflict with the state of South Carolina , which culminated in the nullification crisis , and the banking policy of the president. In 1832, Russell was not re-elected.

After his tenure in the US House of Representatives, he moved to Portsmouth , Ohio. In the course of the 1830s he moved to the then newly formed Whig Party . In the elections of 1840 Russell was re-elected to Congress in the seventh district of his state, where he replaced William K. Bond on March 4, 1841 . Since he refused to run again in 1842, he could only spend one more term in the US House of Representatives until March 3, 1843. This period was overshadowed by tension between President John Tyler and the Whigs. In addition, a possible annexation of the Republic of Texas , which has been independent of Mexico since 1836, was already being discussed.

After his final retirement from Congress, William Russell retired to his farm in Scioto County, where he died on September 28, 1845.

Web links

• William Russell in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)
• William Russell in the database of Find a Grave (English)