Addison Peale Russell (September 8, 1826 – July 24, 1912) was an American author of the later nineteenth century. He is remembered mainly for his ''
Sub-Coelum'' — "his best book...a Utopian protest against materialistic socialism."
Russell was born in Ohio; his formal education ended with grammar school. At the age of sixteen he took a job as a printer for a newspaper; by nineteen he had worked his way up to editor and publisher of the
Hillsboro, Ohio ''News''. He pursued a journalism career until he switched to politics and public service. He was made clerk of the Ohio Senate in 1850; he later represented
Clinton County, Ohio in the
Ohio House of Representatives
The Ohio House of Representatives is the lower house of the Ohio General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Ohio; the other house of the bicameral legislature being the Ohio Senate.
The House of Representatives first met in ...
in the 52nd General Assembly (1856–57) as a
Republican, and was
Ohio Secretary of State
The secretary of state of Ohio is an elected statewide official in the state of Ohio. The Secretary of state (U.S. state government), secretary of state is responsible for overseeing elections in the state; registering business entities (corp ...
(1858–62). He was appointed Financial Agent for Ohio during the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...
, stationed in
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
.
[ Smith 1898 : 76] He retired from public office in 1868 to pursue literature. He wrote seven books:
* ''Half Tints'' (1867)
* ''Library Notes'' (1875)
* ''Thomas Corwin'' (1882)
* ''Characteristics'' (1884)
* ''A Club of One'' (1887)
* ''In a Club Corner'' (1890)
* ''Sub-Coelum'' (1893).
Apart from his biographical survey of
Thomas Corwin, an Ohio governor, Russell's books generally fall into the category of
belles-lettres
() is a category of writing, originally meaning beautiful or fine writing. In the modern narrow sense, it is a label for literary works that do not fall into the major categories such as fiction, poetry, or drama. The phrase is sometimes used pej ...
.
References
Bibliography
*
*
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Russell, Addison Peale
Writers from Ohio
American essayists
1826 births
1912 deaths
People from Wilmington, Ohio
Secretaries of state of Ohio
Republican Party members of the Ohio House of Representatives
19th-century members of the Ohio General Assembly