Russell Errett (November 10, 1817 – April 7, 1891) was a Republican member of the

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

from

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

Biography

Russell Errett was born 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 ...

. In 1829 he moved to

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

, and became engaged in newspaper work. Among the papers he edited were the Pittsburgh ''Daily Sun'', a small penny journal; the ''Washington Patriot'', an anti-slavery weekly of

Washington, Pennsylvania Washington, also known as Little Washington to distinguish it from the District of Columbia, is a city in Washington County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. The population was 13,176 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 censu ...

; and the ''

Pittsburgh Gazette The ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', also known simply as the PG, is the largest newspaper serving Greater Pittsburgh, metropolitan Pittsburgh in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. Descended from the ''Pittsburgh Gazette'', established in 1786 as the fi ...

''. He was elected

comptroller A comptroller (pronounced either the same as ''controller'' or as ) is a management-level position responsible for supervising the quality of accountancy, accounting and financial reporting of an organization. A financial comptroller is a senior- ...

of Pittsburgh in 1860. He served as clerk of the

Pennsylvania State Senate The Pennsylvania State Senate is the upper house of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, the Pennsylvania state legislature. The State Senate meets in the State Capitol building in Harrisburg. Senators are elected for four-year terms, stagger ...

in 1860, 1861, and 1872 to 1876. 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 ...

, Errett was appointed additional paymaster 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 ...

in 1861 and served until mustered out in 1866. He was a member of the Pennsylvania State Senate in 1867. He was appointed assessor of internal revenue in 1869, and served until 1873. He conducted the ''

Pittsburgh Commercial The ''Pittsburgh Commercial'' was a morning daily newspaper published from 7 September 1863 to 14 February 1877 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It was outspokenly Republican in its political commentary. Its succession of chief editors included Thom ...

'' newspaper from 1873 to 1876. Errett was elected as a Republican to the 45th, 46th, and 47th Congresses. He served as chairman of the United States House Committee on Expenditures on Public Buildings during the 47th Congress. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in

1882 Events January * January 2 ** The Standard Oil Trust is secretly created in the United States to control multiple corporations set up by John D. Rockefeller and his associates. ** Irish-born author Oscar Wilde arrives in New York at the ...

. He was appointed by President

Chester A. Arthur Chester Alan Arthur (October 5, 1829 – November 18, 1886) was the 21st president of the United States, serving from 1881 to 1885. He was a Republican from New York who previously served as the 20th vice president under President James A. ...

as United States pension agent at Pittsburgh in 1883 and served in this capacity until May 1887. He died in Carnegie, Pennsylvania, in 1891. Interment was in Chartiers Cemetery. Russell's younger brother Isaac Errett was the founding editor of the '' Christian Standard'' and a figure in the American

Restoration Movement The Restoration Movement (also known as the American Restoration Movement or the Stone–Campbell Movement, and pejoratively as Campbellism) is a Christian movement that began on the American frontier during the Second Great Awakening (1790–1 ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Errett, Russell Republican Party Pennsylvania state senators Union army soldiers Politicians from Pittsburgh 1817 births 1891 deaths Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania 19th-century American newspaper editors Editors of Pennsylvania newspapers 19th-century members of the Pennsylvania General Assembly 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives