Francis Russell, 9th Duke of Bedford
| The Duke of Bedford | |
|---|---|
|
The Duke of Bedford in the House of Lords, by Carlo Pellegrini, 1874 | |
| Born | 16 October 1819 |
| Died | 14 January 1891 (aged 71) |
| Title | Duke of Bedford |
| Tenure | 27 May 1872 – 14 January 1891 |
| Other titles |
9th Marquess of Tavistock 13th Earl of Bedford 13th Baron Russell 11th Baron Russell of Thornhaugh 9th Baron Howland |
| Successor | George Russell, 10th Duke of Bedford |
| Spouse(s) | Elizabeth Sackville-West |
| Issue |
George William Francis Sackville Russell, 10th Duke of Bedford Ella Monica Sackville Russell Ermyntrude Sackville Russell Herbrand Arthur Russell, 11th Duke of Bedford |
| Parents |
Lord George William Russell Elizabeth Anne Rawdon |
Francis Charles Hastings Russell, 9th Duke of Bedford[1]KG (16 October 1819 – 14 January 1891) was an English politician and agriculturalist.
Life
The son of Major-General Lord George William Russell and Lady William Russell, and the grandson of John Russell, 6th Duke of Bedford, Russell was born in Curzon Street, London,[2] and commissioned into the Scots Fusilier Guards in 1838, retiring in 1844.[3] He was Liberal Member of Parliament for Bedfordshire from 1847 until 1872, when he succeeded to the dukedom on the death of his cousin William Russell, 8th Duke of Bedford, and took his place in the House of Lords. In 1886, he broke with the party leadership of William Ewart Gladstone over the First Irish Home Rule Bill and became a Unionist.
He took an active interest in agriculture and experimentation on his Woburn Abbey estate and was President of the Royal Agricultural Society in 1880. On 1 December 1880, he was made a Knight of the Garter. From 1884 until his death he was Lord Lieutenant of Huntingdonshire.[3]
He died in 1891, aged 71 at 81 Eaton Square, London, by shooting himself as a result of insanity, while suffering from pneumonia. After being cremated at Woking Crematorium, his ashes were buried at the ‘Bedford Chapel’ of St. Michael’s Church in Chenies, Buckinghamshire.
Family
He married Lady Elizabeth Sackville-West, daughter of George Sackville-West, 5th Earl De La Warr, on 18 January 1844. They had four children:
- George William Francis Sackville Russell, 10th Duke of Bedford (1852–1893)
- Lady Ella Monica Sackville Russell (1854–1936), died unmarried.
- Lady Ermyntrude Sackville Russell (1856–1927), married Edward Malet, 4th Bt.
- Herbrand Arthur Russell, 11th Duke of Bedford (1858–1940)
References
- ↑ The 9th Duke was known as "Hastings, 9th Duke of Bedford", the style used for example on the plaque recording his 1883 gift of the Drake statue in Tavistock
- ↑ The Complete Peerage, Volume II. St Catherine's Press. 1912. pp. 86–87.
- 1 2 The Complete Peerage, Volume II. p. 87.
Bibliography
- Lloyd, E.M. & Seccombe, T. "Russell, Lord George William (1790–1846)", rev. James Falkner, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004 , <accessed 28 Feb 2006> (subscription required)
External links
- Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by the Duke of Bedford
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Viscount Alford Lord Charles Russell |
Member of Parliament for Bedfordshire 1847–1872 With: Viscount Alford 1847–1851 Sir Richard Gilpin, Bt 1851–1872 |
Succeeded by Sir Richard Gilpin, Bt Francis Bassett |
| Honorary titles | ||
| Preceded by The Earl of Sandwich |
Lord Lieutenant of Huntingdonshire 1884–1891 |
Succeeded by The Earl of Sandwich |
| Peerage of England | ||
| Preceded by William Russell |
Duke of Bedford 1872–1891 |
Succeeded by George Russell |