John Russell, 13th Duke of Bedford

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John Ian Robert Russell, 13th Duke of Bedford (May 24, 1917–October 25, 2002) was a British peer and writer, the son of Hastings Russell, 12th Duke of Bedford.

Known as Ian, the Duke, then known by his courtesy title Lord Howland, married, firstly, Clare Gwendolyn (Bridgman) Hollway, on 6 April 1939. She died of a drug overdose in 1945. They had two children:

Henry Robin Ian Russell, 14th Duke of Bedford (1940–2003)
Lord Rudolf Russell (b. 7 March 1944), married 1989 Farah Mogaddam, a daughter of General R. Mogaddam.

In 1947, then known by his courtesy title Marquess of Tavistock, he married his second wife, the Hon. Lydia Lyle (died 25 July 2006), who was the widow of Capt. Ian Archibald de Hoghton Lyle (1909-1942), heir to the baronetcy of Lyle, and had two children by that marriage. She was a daughter of John Yarde-Buller, 3rd Baron Churston and his wife, the former Denise Orme, and a sister-in-law of Prince Aly Khan. They were married on 13 February 1947 and they were divorced in 1960. They had one child:

Lord Francis Hastings Russell (b. 27 February 1950), married firstly, Faith Ibrahim and had issue. He married secondly Sarah Clemence and had issue.

The Duke of Bedford married, thirdly, Nicole (Schneider) Milinaire, on 4 September 1960.

Russell started his career as a rent collector in 1938, in Stepney. He then joined the Coldstream Guards in 1939 and fought in the Second World War between 1939 and 1940, but quit his army career after being invalided.

He then turned to journalism and was a reporter for the Daily Express in 1940.

Lord Russell wrote the books A Silver-Plated Spoon, published in 1959, The Duke of Bedford's Book of Snobs, published in 1965, The Flying Duchess, published in 1968 and (although he had sold the family manor at Chenies in 1954) How to Run a Stately Home, published in 1971.