Edward Russell, 1st Earl of Orford

The Earl of Orford
Admiral Edward Russell, 1st Earl of Orford, Thomas Gibson
First Lord of the Admiralty
In office
1694 to 1699 – 1709 to 1710 – 1714 to 1717
Lord Lieutenant of Cambridgeshire
In office
1715–1727
Member of Parliament
for Cambridgeshire
In office
November 1695 – May 1697
Member of Parliament
for Portsmouth
In office
March 1690 – October 1695
Treasurer of the Navy
In office
1689–1699
Member of Parliament
for Launceston
In office
January 1689 – February 1689
Personal details
Born10 February 1657
Chiswick, London, England
Died26 November 1727(1727-11-26) (aged 70)
Covent Garden, London, England
Resting placeSt Michael's, Chenies
Political partyWhig
SpouseLady Margaret Russell
Alma materSt John's College, Cambridge
OccupationSailor and politician
Military service
Allegiance Kingdom of England
 Kingdom of Great Britain
Branch/service Royal Navy (1664–1707)
 Royal Navy (1707–1717)
Years of service1666–1717
RankAdmiral of the Fleet
CommandsCommander-in-Chief, Channel Fleet
Phoenix; Reserve; Defiance; Swiftsure; Newcastle
Battles/warsThird Anglo-Dutch War
Battle of Solebay
Nine Years' War
Battles of Barfleur and La Hogue

Admiral of the Fleet Edward Russell, 1st Earl of Orford, PC (1653 – 26 November 1727) was a Royal Navy officer and politician. After serving as a junior officer at the Battle of Solebay during the Third Anglo-Dutch War, he served as a captain in the Mediterranean Sea in operations against the Barbary pirates.

Russell was one of the Immortal Seven, a group of English noblemen who issued the Invitation to William, a document asking Prince William of Orange to depose King James II. Based in the Netherlands, he served as Prince William's secretary during the planning of William's invasion of England and subsequent Glorious Revolution. He was fully engaged in providing naval support for the Williamite War in Ireland until the war ended. He was Commander-in-Chief of the Anglo-Dutch force that fought the French fleet at the Battle of Barfleur and destroyed much of it in a night attack at the Battle of La Hogue during the Nine Years' War.

Russell went on to be First Lord of the Admiralty during the reign of William III and then held the office twice again in the reigns of Queen Anne and King George I. He was also MP for Launceston, for Portsmouth and then for Cambridgeshire.