List of Political Families in The United Kingdom - Russells

Russells

• William Russell, 1st Duke of Bedford (1613–1700), eldest son of Francis Russell, 4th Earl of Bedford (see Longs and related persons above), MP for Tavistock in the Short Parliament and the Long Parliament
  • William Russell, Lord Russell (1639–1683), third son of the 1st Duke of Bedford. He was a leading member of the Country Party, forerunners of the Whigs, who opposed the succession of James II during the reign of Charles II, ultimately resulting in his execution for treason for his involvement in the Rye House Plot
    • John Russell, 4th Duke of Bedford (1710–1771), fourth son of the 2nd and brother of the 3rd Duke of Bedford. Whig First Lord of the Admiralty (1744-17480), Secretary of State for the Southern Department (1748–1751), Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (1757–1761), Lord Privy Seal (1761–1763) and Lord President of the Council (1763–1765)
      • Francis Russell, Marquess of Tavistock (1739–1767), eldest son of the 4th Duke of Bedford. Whig MP in the Irish House of Commons for Armagh Borough 1759-1761 and then in the British House of Commons for Bedfordshire until 1767
        • Francis Russell, 5th Duke of Bedford (1765–1802), eldest son of the Marquess of Tavistock. Whig politician, responsible for much of the development of central Bloomsbury.
        • John Russell, 6th Duke of Bedford (1766–1839), younger son of the Marquess of Tavistock. Whig politician, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland 1806-1807
          • Lord John Russell, 1st Earl Russell (1792–1878), 1st Earl Russell, third son of the 6th Duke of Bedford. Whig and Liberal Prime Minister (1846–1852, 1865–1866) and Foreign Secretary (1852–1853, 1859–1865)
            • Frank Russell, 2nd Earl Russell (1865–1931), 2nd Earl Russell, eldest grandson of PM Lord John Russell, brother of Bertrand Russell. First peer to join the Labour Party and Labour's Leader in the House of Lords. He was Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport and Under-Secretary of State for India in Ramsay MacDonald's government 1929-1931
              • Conrad Russell, 5th Earl Russell, (1937–2004), second son of Bertrand Russell. He was the first parliamentarian to take his seat as a Liberal Democrat (in the House of Lords), shortly after the party was formed in 1988 from a merger of the Liberal Party and the Social Democratic Party. Lord Russell was elected at the top of his party's list of hereditary peers to retain their seats after all but 92 hereditary peers were removed from the House of Lords in 1999.
          • Francis Russell, 7th Duke of Bedford (1788–1861), eldest son of the 6th Duke of Bedford. Whig MP for Peterborough (1809–1812) and Bedfordshire (1812–1832)
            • William Russell, 8th Duke of Bedford (1809–1872), only son of the 7th Duke of Bedford. Whig MP for Tavistock 1832-1841
            • Francis Russell, 9th Duke of Bedford (1819–1891), grandson of the 6th Duke of Bedford. Liberal MP for Bedfordshire 1847-1872
              • George Russell, 10th Duke of Bedford (1852–1893), eldest son of the 9th Duke of Bedford. Liberal MP for Bedfordshire 1875-1885