Lord John Russell

Name: Lord John Russell
Author: Stuart J. Reid

by Stuart J. Reid

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Language: en7,123 downloads on Project Gutenberg

Subjects

Prime ministers -- Great Britain -- Biography Russell, John Russell, Earl, 1792-1878

In: Biographies·History - British·History - Modern (1750+)

Public-domain ebook sourced from Project Gutenberg #27553.

About this book

Stuart J. Reid’s Lord John Russell is a meticulously documented biography of the nineteenth‑century British statesman, presented as a monograph that draws on family papers, private journals and the recollections of contemporaries. The work opens with a formal dedication to Lady Mary Agatha Russell and a preface that explains how the author gained unprecedented access to the Countess’s journal, the Earl’s early note‑books, and a host of personal correspondences. Reid then outlines his indebtedness to a wide circle of relatives, friends and senior officials, among them Mrs. Warburton, Sir Villiers Lister and Mr. Spencer Walpole, who supplied both private anecdotes and official records. The introductory pages also describe the lavish limited‑edition production, complete with facsimile portraits and a frontispiece drawn from a crayon portrait at Pembroke Lodge, setting a tone of scholarly thoroughness and reverence for Russell’s long parliamentary career.

The narrative is written in a measured, Victorian‑era voice, reflecting the scholarly conventions of the 1890s. Its style combines formal exposition with occasional personal asides, mirroring the era’s biographical tradition that prized exhaustive documentation and moral appraisal. Readers who enjoy detailed political histories, especially those interested in the evolution of British liberalism, parliamentary reform, and the inner workings of mid‑nineteenth‑century government, will find this work rewarding. It also appeals to admirers of classic historical scholarship who appreciate a text that balances factual rigor with the occasional glimpse into the private lives of its subjects.

Who appears in Lord John Russell

Lord John RussellMiddle‑aged British gentleman, dark hair, sideburns, moustache, frock coat, waistcoat, top hat, dignified expression
Lady Mary Agatha RussellElegant Victorian lady, ivory silk gown, high lace collar, bonnet with feathers, pearl necklace, gentle smile
Sir Villiers ListerDistinguished gentleman, silver‑threaded tailcoat, cravat, polished boots, trimmed beard, aristocratic bearing

The opening · free to read

With Photogravure Portrait. 3_s._ 6_d._

'It is hard to imagine a better piece of work than this short study of Lord Melbourne by Mr. Dunckley. Amongst some of the most amusing of Mr. Dunckley's pages--and hardly a page of this little book is dull after the preliminary matter is passed by--is his account of Lord Melbourne's dealings with theology and Church preferments.... Of two lives of the Queen's Prime Ministers which have as yet appeared, we certainly give the preference to Mr. Dunckley's over Mr. Froude's. Mr. Froude had the more attractive theme, but Mr. Dunckley has made more of the less interesting theme.'--SPECTATOR.

'Mr. McCarthy relates clearly and well the main incidents of Peel's political life, and deals fairly with the great controversies which still rage about his conduct in regard to the Roman Catholic Relief Bill and the Repeal of the Corn Laws.'

SATURDAY REVIEW.

'Mr. McCarthy's chapters on Catholic Emancipation are written with admirable impartiality, and he does ample justice to that high-minded administrator, Lord Anglesey.'--ATHENAEUM.

'One of the most complete and succinct accounts of his extraordinary career that we have yet received.... A volume which we may specially commend as the most attractive and authoritative history of the man with whom it deals that has yet been given to the world.... Mr. Russell's clear and able sketch of one whom he is justly proud to call his friend.'--SPEAKER.

THE MARQUIS OF SALISBURY, K.G.

BY H. D. TRAILL, D.C.L.

SECOND EDITION. With Photogravure Portrait. Crown 8vo. 3_s._ 6_d._

'It is a good thing when a book is written as a gentleman should write it; a good thing when it is written as a scholar should write it; a good thing when it is written as a man full of practical and theoretical knowledge of his subject should write it. But it is a very rare thing indeed to find, as we find here, all three merits in combination. The result is not only a remarkable criticism on a man; it is, in part of it at least, the best and ... the most impartial sketch of recent political history that we have recently seen.'--SATURDAY REVIEW.

'The Marquis of Lorne's little book must be consulted by every student who wishes to get a thorough understanding of European history in the early part of the century. The documents to which the author has obtained access ... are both interesting and authoritative.'--STANDARD.

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'A biography distinguished throughout by scrupulous fairness to its subject.... It is perhaps superfluous to add that the book is written with all Mr. Saintsbury's customary animation of style, and that it abounds in those shrewd and often humorous comments on men and affairs which enliven everything he writes.'

SATURDAY REVIEW.

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'This little book, unlike its companion volumes, contains original documents of solid historical importance, and hitherto no authentic biography of Lord Aberdeen has existed, and the editor of the series certainly made a large demand upon Sir Arthur Gordon's good nature when he requested a biography compressed within the limits prescribed. The author, however, has surmounted all difficulties with admirable skill.'--ATHENAEUM.

With Portrait. Crown 8vo. 3_s._ 6_d._

The book contains a good deal of new material concerning the career of the last of the great Whig statesmen. The Dowager-Countess of Russell has given Mr. Reid access to her own journals, and has personally taken a lively interest in the book; while other relatives, intimate friends, and political associates have lent their assistance.

The original punctuation, language and spelling have been retained, except where noted [correction in brackets]. Minor typographical errors have been corrected without note.

Pg. 8: atmosphere of Woburn and Woodnesborourgh[Woodnesborough]

Pg. 18: and ink, and a bag of money. He woul[would] not carry anything