Peter Russell (11 June 1733 – 30 September 1808) was an Irish-born military officer in the American War of Independence and a government official, politician and judge in

Upper Canada The Province of Upper Canada (french: link=no, province du Haut-Canada) was a part of British Canada established in 1791 by the Kingdom of Great Britain, to govern the central third of the lands in British North America, formerly part of th ...

Early life

Born in

Cork Cork or CORK may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Cork (plug), a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container ***Wine cork Places Ireland * Cork (city) ** Metropolitan Cork, also known as G ...

Kingdom of Ireland The Kingdom of Ireland ( ga, label=Classical Irish, an Ríoghacht Éireann; ga, label=Modern Irish, an Ríocht Éireann, ) was a monarchy on the island of Ireland that was a client state of England and then of Great Britain. It existed fro ...

to Captain Richard Russell, later living in England, Russell attended the

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

briefly. His debts forced him to enter the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gur ...

during the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) was a global conflict that involved most of the European Great Powers, and was fought primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. Other concurrent conflicts include the French and Indian War (1754– ...

. He was commissioned into the 14th Foot and served in the 94th Foot and the 64th Foot. After fleeing due to gambling debts, Russell returned to the American colonies during the Revolutionary War, seeking promotion in the military, served as assistant secretary to Sir Henry Clinton and being promoted

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

in 1781. He was appointed superintendent of the port of Charleston in 1782 before returning to England.

Politics

After several years of job-searching Russell was appointed by the British government as Receiver General for the new colonial province of

. In 1791 he joined the administration of

John Graves Simcoe John Graves Simcoe (25 February 1752 – 26 October 1806) was a British Army general and the first lieutenant governor of Upper Canada from 1791 until 1796 in southern Ontario and the watersheds of Georgian Bay and Lake Superior. He founded Yor ...

, the province's first Lieutenant-Governor. Russell was also appointed to the Executive Council and Legislative Council, and served as

Speaker Speaker may refer to: Society and politics * Speaker (politics), the presiding officer in a legislative assembly * Public speaker, one who gives a speech or lecture * A person producing speech: the producer of a given utterance, especially: ** In ...

of the Legislative Council. In July 1794, after the departure of Chief Justice William Osgoode, Simcoe issued a temporary commission to Russell to fill a vacant seat of Puisne Judge of the King’s Bench. Simcoe requested a leave of absence in December 1795 and recommended that Russell act as administrator of Upper Canada in his absence. Russell assumed the position in July 1796 on Simcoe's departure and remained administrator until 1799 when Simcoe's permanent replacement was appointed. Russell's administration saw the peaceful transfer of six border posts from the British to the Americans under the terms of the

Jay Treaty The Treaty of Amity, Commerce, and Navigation, Between His Britannic Majesty and the United States of America, commonly known as the Jay Treaty, and also as Jay's Treaty, was a 1794 treaty between the United States and Great Britain that averted ...

. During his temporary appointment, Russell was at a disadvantage, however, as Simcoe had taken the vast majority of his official papers with him, leaving only 12 documents behind. This left Russell ignorant of British policy and of Simcoe's proposals for management of the province. Russell attempted to tighten up the system of land grants in order to curtail speculation, nepotism and corruption. He clashed with the new chief justice,

John Elmsley John Elmsley (1762 – April 29, 1805) was Chief Justice of Upper Canada and afterwards Lower Canada. In both of the Canadas he served as President of the Executive Council and Speaker of the Legislative Council. During the Hunter administra ...

, (who served on the Executive Council as part of his duties) over issues such as the seat of government with Elmsley objecting to the implementation of Simcoe's directions on making

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

the capital. Elmsley also objected to Russell's self-appointment to the Court of King's Bench due to Russell's lack of legal training and the violation of the separation of judicial and executive powers. Russell needed the extra income, however, and ignored Elmsley's objections. Peter Russell was a supporter of Native issues in the town of York, supporting them when they had issues with encroaching pioneers. However, he owned and traded in slaves.

Russell Abbey

Russell lived at a town home on King Street between Sherbourne and Princess (now 255 King Street East), built of timber from German Mills, Ontario. Russell lived with his sister Elizabeth and it was referred to as ''Russell Abbey''. The home was a park lot granted to Russell in 1798. Russell died in 1808 and his sister until 1822, the home burned down in 1856.

Later years and legacy

By 1798 it became evident that Simcoe would never return. Russell hoped to become the new lieutenant-governor and was disappointed when Peter Hunter was given the position in 1799. Russell remained on the Executive Council but his influence waned and he had little power. When Hunter died in 1805, Russell again hoped to be named administrator but was passed over in favour of Alexander Grant. Tired of Canada, he wished to return to England but, unable to find a buyer for his 6,000 acres (24 km²) of land, he could not afford the trip and remained in the province until his death in 1808. Russell was buried at the old Garrison Burial Grounds, now Victoria Memorial Square, near Fort York. The town of

Russell, Ontario The Township of Russell is a municipal township, located south-east of Canada's capital of Ottawa in eastern Ontario, in the United Counties of Prescott and Russell, on the Castor River. The township had a population of 16,520 in the 2016 Ca ...

takes its name after Russell. In 2020, following the

George Floyd protests The George Floyd protests were a series of protests and civil unrest against police brutality and racism that began in Minneapolis on May 26, 2020, and largely took place during 2020. The civil unrest and protests began as part of internatio ...

, the township announced it will search for a new Russell as its namesake due to Peter Russell's ownership of black slaves.

References

External links