John Russell, 6th Duke of Bedford Knight of the Order of the Garter Personal Computer Federal Security Agency, known as Lord John Russell until 1802, was a British Whig politician and notably served as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland in the Ministry of All the Talents.
Background
Bedford was a younger son of Francis Russell, Marquess of Tavistock, eldest son and heir of John Russell, 4th Duke of Bedford. His mother was Lady Elizabeth, youngest child of Willem van Keppel, 2nd Earl of Albemarle and Lady Anne Lennox. According to the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Russell was born on 20 September 1766.
Career
He was the father of Prime Minister John Russell, 1st Earl Russell. Bedford was sworn of the Privy Council in 1806 and appointed a Knight of the Garter in 1830. Bedford married firstly the Honorary
Georgiana Byng, daughter of George Byng, 4th Viscount Torrington, in 1786.
The marriage lasted 15 years and they had three sons:
Francis Russell, 7th Duke of Bedford
Lord George Russell
There is evidence to suggest that Bedford also kept a mistress named Elizabeth Charlewood and had one child by her in 1797:
Robert Russell, a carpenter from Bletchingley, Surrey. After Georgiana"s early death in October 1801, Bedford married secondly Lady Georgiana, daughter of Alexander Gordon, 4th Duke of Gordon, in 1803.
They had ten children, including:
Lady Georgiana Elizabeth Russell (d 22 March 1867), married Charles Romilly and had issue
Admiral Lord Edward Russell (24 April 1805 – 21 May 1887), married Mary Ann Taylor and died without issue
Lieutenant-Colonel Lord Charles James Fox Russell (10 February 1807 – 29 June 1894), married Isabella Davies and had issue
Lady Louisa Jane Russell (8 July 1812 – 31 March 1905), married James Hamilton, 1st Duke of Abercorn and had issue. General Lord Alexander Russell (16 September 1821 – 10 January 1907), married Anne Holmes and had issue
Lady Rachel Evelyn Russell (1826 – 21 February 1898), married Lord James Butler and had issue.
The Duchess of Bedford was a great patroness of the arts, and had a longstanding relationship with the painter Sir Edwin Landseer, a man twenty years her junior.
The Bedfords" marriage was nevertheless considered to be a very happy one. The Duchess of Bedford died in February 1853, aged 71.
Politics
Like most Russells, Bedford was a Whig in politics. He became, as did many of his party who were strong followers of Bonapartism, opposed to the Peninsular War, believing that it neither could nor should be won.
Membership
He sat as Member of Parliament for Tavistock from 1788 to 1790, and served as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland in the Whig government of 1806–1807.