Captain Stuart Hugh Minto Russell (18 January 1909 – 30 October 1943) was a Conservative Party politician in the

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Early life

Stuart Hugh Minto Russell was born on 18 January 1909 to Sir Charles Lennox Somerville Russell and Lady Russell (née Elliot) from Crooksbury Hurst in

Surrey Surrey () is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Greater London to the northeast, Kent to the east, East Sussex, East and West Sussex to the south, and Hampshire and Berkshire to the wes ...

. For his education he attended

Rugby School Rugby School is a Public school (United Kingdom), private boarding school for pupils aged 13–18, located in the town of Rugby, Warwickshire in England. Founded in 1567 as a free grammar school for local boys, it is one of the oldest independ ...

Member of Parliament

1935 general election

Russell stood as

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

candidate in the

Parliamentary constituency An electoral (congressional, legislative, etc.) district, sometimes called a constituency, riding, or ward, is a geographical portion of a political unit, such as a country, state or province, city, or administrative region, created to provi ...

Darwen Darwen is a market town and civil parish in the Blackburn with Darwen borough in Lancashire, England. The residents of the town are known as "Darreners". The A666 road, A666 road passes through Darwen towards Blackburn to the north, Bolton to ...

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...

at the 1935 General Election. He stood to become a Member of Parliament (MP) against

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...

leader (and sitting MP) Herbert Samuel and a Labour candidate. The local party chairman, Colonel Felix Knowles, telegraphed Stanley Baldwin to query the Liberal Party statements that Baldwin would like to see Herbert Samuel returned as MP. In response, Baldwin telegraphed - He was described by

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as 'a young man with a personality' and so impressed the Conservative candidate selection committee in Darwen that they started a fund for his campaign. It was the first time that the constituency party had ever established a fund for a candidate.

Parliamentary service

Maiden speech

After entering the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...

, Russell's

maiden speech A maiden speech is the first speech given by a newly elected or appointed member of a legislature or parliament. Traditions surrounding maiden speeches vary from country to country. In many Westminster system governments, there is a convention th ...

on 22 April 1936 in a debate of the question, "That it is expedient to amend the law relating to the National Debt, Customs and Inland Revenue (including Excise) and to make further provision in connection with finance". He rose at 16.59 began his first remarks to the house -

Italian invasion of Abyssinia

Following the Italian invasion of Abyssinia, the Labour Party put forward a vote of censure due to the government's handling of the crisis. The vote took place on 23 June 1936 with the motion of censure defeated by 384 to 170. The Times noted that Russell felt that, "the Government were blessed for having kept an unprepared nation out of a European war fought on behalf of

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Working hours

He spoke in general support of a reduction of working hours with the proviso that, "...this can be done without determent to the prosperity of the industry concerned". He also supported, "...the action of His Majesty's Government in resisting proposals which would endanger the earnings of British workers".

Parliamentary Private Secretary

Russell was Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Under

Secretary of State for Air The Secretary of State for Air was a secretary of state position in the British government that existed from 1919 to 1964. The person holding this position was in charge of the Air Ministry. The Secretary of State for Air was supported by ...

, Sir Phillip Sassoon between 1936 and 1937. He also served as Parliamentary Private Secretary to the

Chancellor of the Exchequer The chancellor of the exchequer, often abbreviated to chancellor, is a senior minister of the Crown within the Government of the United Kingdom, and the head of HM Treasury, His Majesty's Treasury. As one of the four Great Offices of State, t ...

between 1937 and 1938. He resigned from this position so he could speak freely in support of the Prime Minister's foreign policy.

Second World War

Norway Debate

Russell attended the

Norway Debate The Norway Debate, sometimes called the Narvik Debate, was a momentous debate in the British House of Commons from 7 to 9 May 1940, during the Second World War. The official title of the debate, as held in the ''Hansard'' parliamentary archiv ...

, voting against the government. In the Commons Dining Room, the Chancellor of the Exchequer Sir John Simon approached Russell and Somerset de Chair at their table. Sir John asked, "May I ask which way you young people are going to vote?" To this, de Chair replied, "Against you".

Military service and death

In 1943, Russell died on active service at El Alamein,

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, as a captain of the

Coldstream Guards The Coldstream Guards is the oldest continuously serving regular regiment in the British Army. As part of the Household Division, one of its principal roles is the protection of the Monarchy of the United Kingdom, monarchy; due to this, it often ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, aged 34. He rests in the care of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission at

Alexandria Alexandria ( ; ) is the List of cities and towns in Egypt#Largest cities, second largest city in Egypt and the List of coastal settlements of the Mediterranean Sea, largest city on the Mediterranean coast. It lies at the western edge of the Nile ...

(Hadra) War Memorial Cemetery. His brother, Lieutenant Raymond Lennox Somerville, also died while on active service on 17 July 1941 at the age of 28. After his death, the by-election for his seat was won by the Conservative candidate Captain Stanley Prescott.