Thomas Russell (September 26, 1825 – February 9, 1887) was an American jurist and government official who served as Collector of Customs for the

Port of Boston The Port of Boston (Automated Manifest System, AMS Seaport Code: 0401, UN/LOCODE: US BOS) is a major seaport located in Boston Harbor and adjacent to the Boston, Massachusetts, City of Boston. It is the largest port in Massachusetts and one of th ...

, United States Minister Resident to Venezuela, and Massachusetts Commissioner of Railroads.

Early life

Russell was born on September 26, 1825, to Thomas and Mary Ann (Goodwin) Russell. His father served as

Treasurer and Receiver-General of Massachusetts The treasurer and receiver-general of Massachusetts is an elected constitutional officer in the executive branch of the U.S. state of Massachusetts. Originally appointed under authority of the Monarchy of the United Kingdom, English Crown pursuan ...

. Russell graduated from

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate education, undergraduate college of Harvard University, a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Part of the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Scienc ...

in 1845 and studied law at Harvard Law School and in the office of Jacob H. Loud. In 1847 he moved to

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

and continued his studies in the office of Whiting & Russell. He was admitted to the bar on November 12, 1849.

Government service

On February 26, 1852, Russell was appointed justice of the Boston Police Court. When the

Massachusetts Superior Court The Massachusetts Superior Court (also known as the Superior Court Department of the Trial Court) is a trial court department in Massachusetts. The Superior Court has original jurisdiction in civil actions over $50,000, and in matters where equ ...

was created in 1859, Russell was appointed as one of its judges. Russell was known for his harsh sentences against

garrote A garrote ( ; alternatively spelled as garotte and similar variants)''Oxford English Dictionary'', 11th Ed: garrotte is normal British English spelling, with single r alternate. Article title is US English spelling variant. or garrote vil () is ...

rs which was credited with deterring similar attacks. 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 ...

he also served as a draft commissioner. In 1867, Russell left the bench to become Collector of Customs for the Port of Boston. He resigned in 1874 to become Minister Resident to Venezuela. He remained in Venezuela until 1877, when a report written by Russell stating that the United States would have to use force or bribery to collect on the claims of their citizens against the Venezuelan government was published, resulting in Venezuelan President

Antonio Guzmán Blanco Antonio Leocadio Guzmán Blanco (28 February 1829 – 28 July 1899) was a Venezuelan military leader, statesman, diplomat and politician. He was the president of Venezuela for , from 1870 until 1877, from 1879 until 1884, and from 1886 until 1 ...

breaking off all official relations with Russell and forcing his recall. Russell was a member of the

Massachusetts House of Representatives The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the State legislature (United States), state legislature of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from 14 counties each divided into ...

in 1879. That same year he was appointed chairman of the Massachusetts railroad commission, a position he held until his death.

Non-government work

In 1855, Russell joined the

Harvard Board of Overseers The Harvard Board of Overseers (more formally The Honorable and Reverend the Board of Overseers) is an advisory board of alumni at Harvard University. Unlike the Harvard Corporation, the Board of Overseers is not a fiduciary governing board, but in ...

. He was also a trustee of the State Reform School for Boys and the Massachusetts Nautical School. From 1879 until his death he was the chairman of the Pilgrim Society. In 1878, Russell became the president of the Emigrant Savings Bank.

Personal life

Russell's wife, Mary Ellen Russell, was the daughter of Edward Thompson Taylor. They had three daughters; Minnie, Nelly, and Dora. Nelly married a Venezuelan general, Alejandro Ybarra, and they had three children who lived to adulthood, including journalist Thomas Russell Ybarra. Russell was an abolitionist and a member of the

Free Soil Party The Free Soil Party, also called the Free Democratic Party or the Free Democracy, was a political party in the United States from 1848 to 1854, when it merged into the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party. The party was focused o ...

. He was also a member of the Mount Lebanon Lodge and spoke at numerous

Freemason Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...

assemblies. Russell died on February 9, 1887, at his home in Boston. He was buried at

Burial Hill Burial Hill is a historic cemetery or Graveyard, burying ground on School Street in Plymouth, Massachusetts. Established in the 17th century, it is the burial site of several Pilgrims (Plymouth Colony), Pilgrims, the founding settlers of Plymou ...

in Plymouth.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Russell, Thomas 1825 births 1887 deaths Ambassadors of the United States to Venezuela American Freemasons Burials at Burial Hill Collectors of the Port of Boston Harvard College alumni Harvard Law School alumni Lawyers from Boston Massachusetts Free Soilers Massachusetts Superior Court justices Members of the Harvard Board of Overseers Politicians from Plymouth, Massachusetts Republican Party members of the Massachusetts House of Representatives 19th-century members of the Massachusetts General Court