Donald Stuart Russell (February 22, 1906 – February 22, 1998) was an American politician, attorney, judge, and academic administrator from

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

. A

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

, Russell was elected

Governor of South Carolina The governor of South Carolina is the head of government of South Carolina. The governor is the ''ex officio'' commander-in-chief of the National Guard when not called into federal service. The governor's responsibilities include making year ...

1962 The year saw the Cuban Missile Crisis, which is often considered the closest the world came to a Nuclear warfare, nuclear confrontation during the Cold War. Events January * January 1 – Samoa, Western Samoa becomes independent from Ne ...

and served from 1963 to 1965, which was followed by a stint as

U.S. Senator The United States Senate is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and House have the authority under Article One of the ...

from South Carolina from 1965 to 1966. Russell went on to become

district judge District Judge may refer to: * A United States federal judge, appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate * A judge in a state court (United States), where the state is divided into judicial districts * * A judge in the district courts ...

of the District Court for the District of South Carolina and the circuit judge of the

United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit (in case citations, 4th Cir.) is a United States federal court, federal court located in Richmond, Virginia, with appellate jurisdiction over the United States district court, district cou ...

. Prior to his political career, Russell served as an

Assistant Secretary of State Assistant Secretary of State (A/S) is a title used for many executive positions in the United States Department of State, ranking below the under secretaries. A set of six assistant secretaries reporting to the under secretary for political aff ...

in the 1940s, and was president of the

University of South Carolina The University of South Carolina (USC, SC, or Carolina) is a Public university, public research university in Columbia, South Carolina, United States. Founded in 1801 as South Carolina College, It is the flagship of the University of South Car ...

in the 1950s. Russell was a close ally and political protege of

James F. Byrnes James Francis Byrnes ( ; May 2, 1882 – April 9, 1972) was an American judge and politician from South Carolina. A member of the Democratic Party, he served in the U.S. Congress and on the U.S. Supreme Court, as well as in the executive branch ...

Early life and education

Russell was born on February 22, 1906, in the unincorporated community of Lafayette Springs in Lafayette County,

Mississippi Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...

, his father dying the year of his birth. In 1914, he moved with his family to

Chester Chester is a cathedral city in Cheshire, England, on the River Dee, Wales, River Dee, close to the England–Wales border. With a built-up area population of 92,760 in 2021, it is the most populous settlement in the borough of Cheshire West an ...

. He received an Artium Baccalaureus degree from the

in 1925. Russell received a

Bachelor of Laws A Bachelor of Laws (; LLB) is an undergraduate law degree offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree and serves as the first professional qualification for legal practitioners. This degree requires the study of core legal subje ...

from

University of South Carolina School of Law The University of South Carolina Joseph F. Rice School of Law, also known as South Carolina Law School, is a professional school within the University of South Carolina. Founded in 1867, it is the only public and non-profit law school in South Car ...

and passed the South Carolina bar in 1928. He studied graduate level law at the

University of Michigan Law School The University of Michigan Law School (branded as Michigan Law) is the law school of the University of Michigan, a public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Founded in 1859, the school offers Master of Laws (LLM), Master of Comparati ...

in 1929.

Early career

Russell was in private practice of law in Union, South Carolina, from 1929 to 1930. He was in private practice of law with the

law firm A law firm is a business entity formed by one or more lawyers to engage in the practice of law. The primary service rendered by a law firm is to advise consumer, clients (individuals or corporations) about their legal rights and Obligation, respon ...

of Nichols, Wyche and Byrnes in

Spartanburg Spartanburg is a city in and the county seat of Spartanburg County, South Carolina, United States. The city had a population of 38,732 as of the 2020 census, making it the 11th-most populous city in the state. The Office of Management and Budg ...

, South Carolina, from 1930 to 1942. He was in private practice of law in Spartanburg from 1947 to 1951 and from 1957 to 1963. Additionally, Russell served as president of the

from 1951 to 1957. Russell served on the Price Adjustment Board of the

War Department War Department may refer to: * War Department (United Kingdom) * United States Department of War The United States Department of War, also called the War Department (and occasionally War Office in the early years), was the United States Cabinet ...

and as assistant director of economic stabilization in 1942, and in 1943 became an assistant to the director of war mobilization. Russell was in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

as a major in 1944 and became deputy director of the

Office of War Mobilization The Office of War Mobilization (OWM) was an independent agency of the United States government formed during World War II to coordinate all government agencies involved in the war effort. It was formed on May 27, 1943, by Executive Order 9347. ...

Reconversion in 1945.

Service as Assistant Secretary of State

In 1947, Russell began service as Assistant Secretary of State for Administration. He was a protégé of former Secretary of State

. During that time, he became involved in the case of "Mr. Blank" and nine other State Department officials, dismissed for unspecified charges related to loyalty. The case became a sensation when journalist Bert Andrews obtained a secret transcript of Mr. Blank's case and published a series of articles in the ''

New York Herald-Tribune The ''New York Herald Tribune'' was a newspaper published between 1924 and 1966. It was created in 1924 when Ogden Mills Reid of the ''New York Tribune'' acquired the ''New York Herald''. It was regarded as a "writer's newspaper" and competed ...

'' starting on November 2, 1947.

Governor of South Carolina

1958 Events January * January 1 – The European Economic Community (EEC) comes into being. * January 3 – The West Indies Federation is formed. * January 4 ** Edmund Hillary's Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition completes the thir ...

, he ran unsuccessfully for Governor of South Carolina, losing the Democratic

primary Primary or primaries may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music Groups and labels * Primary (band), from Australia * Primary (musician), hip hop musician and record producer from South Korea * Primary Music, Israeli record label Work ...

to Ernest F."Fritz" Hollings. In

, he was elected the 107th Governor of South Carolina, and would serve from 1963 to 1965. On April 22, 1965, Russell resigned as governor, after which new governor Robert E. McNair appointed him to fill the seat vacated by the death of Olin D. Johnston as Democratic

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or Legislative chamber, chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior ...

, through 1966.

Notable events during his tenure

On January 28, 1963,

Clemson University Clemson University () is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university near Clemson, South Carolina, United States. - The blue-shaded pattern denotes university property. This shows Clemson University is ''out ...

enrolled its first-ever African-American student,

Harvey Gantt Harvey Bernard Gantt (born January 14, 1943) is an American architect and Democratic politician active in North Carolina. The first African-American student admitted to Clemson University after attending Iowa State University, Gantt graduated w ...

, who would later become

Mayor of Charlotte The office of the Mayor of Charlotte, North Carolina is currently held by Democrat Vi Lyles, who took office in December 2017 after defeating Republican Kenny Smith in the November election. The office was established in 1853, when William F. ...

. On September 16, 1964, former Governor

Strom Thurmond James Strom Thurmond Sr. (December 5, 1902 – June 26, 2003) was an American politician who represented South Carolina in the United States Senate from 1954 to 2003. Before his 49 years as a senator, he served as the 103rd governor of South ...

announced his move to the Republican Party. On October 29, 1964, Greenville native

Charles Townes Charles Hard Townes (July 28, 1915 – January 27, 2015) was an American physicist. Townes worked on the theory and application of the maser, for which he obtained the fundamental patent, and other work in quantum electronics associated with b ...

won the

Nobel Prize in Physics The Nobel Prize in Physics () is an annual award given by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences for those who have made the most outstanding contributions to mankind in the field of physics. It is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the ...

. On November 3, 1964, a majority of South Carolina voters supported

Barry Goldwater Barry Morris Goldwater (January 2, 1909 – May 29, 1998) was an American politician and major general in the United States Air Force, Air Force Reserve who served as a United States senator from 1953 to 1965 and 1969 to 1987, and was the Re ...

, the first Republican presidential candidate to carry the state since Reconstruction.

Federal judicial service

Russell was nominated by President

Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), also known as LBJ, was the 36th president of the United States, serving from 1963 to 1969. He became president after the assassination of John F. Kennedy, under whom he had served a ...

on October 11, 1966, to a seat on the

United States District Court for the District of South Carolina The United States District Court for the District of South Carolina (in case citations, D.S.C.) is the federal district court whose jurisdiction is the state of South Carolina. Court is held in the cities of Aiken, Anderson, Beaufort, Charle ...

vacated by the death of Judge Charles Cecil Wyche. He was confirmed to this office by his fellow members of the

United States Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...

on October 20, 1966, and received his commission on November 3, 1966. His service was terminated on May 1, 1971, due to his elevation to the Fourth Circuit. Russell was nominated by President

Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 until Resignation of Richard Nixon, his resignation in 1974. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican ...

on April 7, 1971, to a seat on the

vacated by Judge

Simon Sobeloff Simon Ernest Sobeloff (December 3, 1894 – July 11, 1973) was an American attorney and jurist, who served as Solicitor General of the United States, as Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals of Maryland, and as a United States circuit judge of the ...

. He was confirmed by the Senate on April 21, 1971, and received his commission on April 23, 1971. His service was terminated on February 22, 1998, due to his death.

Relationship with James F. Byrnes

Russell's most notable political/professional relationship was with

Personal life, death and legacy

Russell was a Methodist. Russell married Virginia Utsey; they had four children. Russell died on his 92nd birthday, February 22, 1998. His Spartanburg home was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 2007. When he died, he left an estate of over $30 million ($50 million in 2018), which he gained through sound investments in banks, insurance and utility companies.

References

External links

* *
Donald S. Russell Papers
at South Carolina Political Collections, University of South Carolina

NGA Biography of Donald Stuart Russell
*

(RG 550000) at the South Carolina Department of Archives & History {{DEFAULTSORT:Russell, Donald S. 1906 births 1998 deaths 20th-century American lawyers 20th-century South Carolina politicians People from Lafayette County, Mississippi Methodists from South Carolina Democratic Party governors of South Carolina Democratic Party United States senators from South Carolina Judges of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit Judges of the United States District Court for the Western District of South Carolina Presidents of the University of South Carolina United States court of appeals judges appointed by Richard Nixon United States district court judges appointed by Lyndon B. Johnson University of Michigan Law School alumni University of South Carolina alumni University of South Carolina trustees 20th-century United States senators