George Russell, 10th Duke of Bedford


The Duke of Bedford

Duke of Bedford
Arms of the Duke of Bedford
Tenure14 January 1891 – 23 March 1893
SuccessorHerbrand Russell, 11th Duke of Bedford
Other titles10th Marquess of Tavistock
14th Earl of Bedford
14th Baron Russell
12th Baron Russell of Thornhaugh
10th Baron Howland
Born(1852-04-16)16 April 1852
Died23 March 1893(1893-03-23) (aged 40)
Spouse(s)Dame Adeline Russell, GBE
ParentsFrancis Russell, 9th Duke of Bedford
Elizabeth Sackville-West

George William Francis Sackville Russell, 10th Duke of Bedford DL (16 April 1852 – 23 March 1893) was a British peer and politician. He was the son of Francis Russell, 9th Duke of Bedford and Lady Elizabeth Sackville-West.

Russell graduated from Balliol College, Oxford in 1874 with a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) and was admitted to Lincoln's Inn, as a barrister.

On 24 October 1876, he married Lady Adeline Marie Somers, daughter of Charles Somers, 3rd Earl Somers. They had no children, but it is known that he had at least two illegitimate children, an Indian daughter. She lived with the pair until her father died and was then sent to live with her uncle, Herbrand Russell, and his family. She lived on the estate until she was married. The second child was a son with Florence Lane-Fox daughter of Sackville Walter Lane-Fox.

Russell was a Liberal Member of Parliament for Bedfordshire between 1875 and 1885, when the constituency was abolished. He was High Sheriff of Bedfordshire in 1889 and was later a Deputy Lieutenant of the county.

In 1891, Russell inherited the title of Duke of Bedford, together with Woburn Abbey and several other estates which went with it, including Chenies, Buckinghamshire, and the Bedford Estate, a sizeable area of central London including Bedford Square, Russell Square, Bloomsbury Square and Covent Garden.

In 1893, at the age of forty, he died of diabetes, at number 37, Chesham Place, London, and was buried in the 'Bedford Chapel' at St. Michael's Church at Chenies. His titles and estates were inherited by his younger brother Herbrand Russell.