Sam Morris Russell (August 9, 1889 – October 19, 1971) was a

U.S. Representative 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

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

. Born on a

farm A farm (also called an agricultural holding) is an area of land that is devoted primarily to agricultural processes with the primary objective of producing food and other crops; it is the basic facility in food production. The name is used fo ...

near

Stephenville, Texas Stephenville is a city in and the county seat of Erath County, Texas, United States. It sits on the North Bosque River, which rises nearby. Founded in 1854, it is home to Tarleton State University. Located in north-central Texas, Stephenville' ...

, Russell attended the rural schools and the John Tarleton Agricultural College,

. He taught school in

Erath County, Texas Erath County () is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. According to the United States Census bureau its population was 42,545 in 2020. The county seat is Stephenville. The county is named for George Bernard Erath, an early surveyor a ...

from 1913 to 1918. He also engaged in agricultural pursuits. During the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, he served as a private in the Forty-sixth Machine Gun Company,

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 1918 and 1919. He studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1919, and commenced practice in

. He served as county attorney of

from 1919 to 1924. He served as district attorney of the Twenty-ninth Judicial District 1924–1928. He served as judge of the twenty-ninth judicial district 1928–1940. Russell was elected as 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 ...

to the Seventy-seventh and to the two succeeding Congresses (January 3, 1941 – January 3, 1947). He was not a candidate for renomination in 1946 to the Eightieth Congress. He resumed the practice of law, and served as Democratic county chairman from 1953 to 1955. He resided in

, until his death there October 19, 1971. He was interred in East Memorial Cemetery.

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Russell, Sam Morris 1889 births 1971 deaths People from Stephenville, Texas Tarleton State University alumni Texas lawyers Texas state court judges United States Army soldiers Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Texas 20th-century Texas state court judges 20th-century American lawyers 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives