Odo Russell (diplomat)

Sir Odo William Theophilus Russell KCMG KCVO CB (3 May 1870 – 23 December 1951) was a British diplomat who was ambassador to Switzerland, the Vatican and the Netherlands.

Sir Odo Russell
British Minister to the Netherlands
In office
1928–1933
Preceded byThe Earl Granville
Succeeded bySir Hubert Montgomery
British Minister on a Special Mission to His Holiness the Pope
In office
1922–1928
Preceded byThe Count de Salis-Soglio
Succeeded bySir Henry Chilton
Brititsh Minister to the Swiss Confederation
In office
1919–1922
Preceded bySir Horace Rumbold, Bt
Succeeded bySir Milne Cheetham
Personal details
Born
Odo William Theophilus Russell

(1870-05-03)3 May 1870
Died23 December 1951(1951-12-23) (aged 81)
Spouse
Countess Marie Louise von Rex
(m. 1910; died 1951)
RelationsArthur Russell, 2nd Baron Ampthill (brother)
Lord George Russell (grandfather)
Children3
Parent(s)Odo Russell, 1st Baron Ampthill
Lady Emily Villiers

Early life

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Russell was the second son of Odo Russell, later the first Baron Ampthill, by Lady Emily Villiers, daughter of George Villiers, 4th Earl of Clarendon and Lady Katherine Grimston (daughter of the 1st Earl of Verulam). His elder brother was Arthur Russell, 2nd Baron Ampthill.[1]

His paternal grandparents were Maj.-Gen. Lord George Russell (second son of the 6th Duke of Bedford) and Elizabeth Anne Rawdon (niece of the 1st Marquess of Hastings). His grand-uncle was the 1st Earl Russell, twice Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.[1]

Career

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Russell entered the Diplomatic Service in 1892 and served in Rome, Athens, St Petersburg, Berlin, Buenos Aires and Vienna, where he held the rank of counsellor from 1909 to 1915. He was then Diplomatic Secretary to the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs from 1915 to 1919, Minister at Bern from 1919 to 1922,[2] Minister to the Holy See from 1922 to 1928[3] and Minister at The Hague from 1928 to 1933[4] (the last three posts were equivalent to modern ambassadorships). He was appointed Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (CVO) in 1909, Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) in 1916, Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (KCVO) in 1923[5] and Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (KCMG) in 1926.[6]

Personal life

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On 25 June 1910, while he was stationed in Vienna, Russell married Countess Marie Louise von Rex (10 July 1890 – 16 November 1966), daughter of Count Rudolf Karl Caspar von Rex, the Saxon Minister at the Austro-Hungarian Court. Together, they had three sons:[1]

  • Cosmo Rex Ivor Russell (1911–2003), who married Agnes Mary Parsons, daughter of Rev. Richard Edward Parsons, Canon of York, in 1941.[1]
  • Alaric Charles William Russell (1912–1986), who married Iris Charmian van Raalte, daughter of Noel van Raalte, in 1940.[1]
  • David Hastings Gerald Russell (1915–1999), who married Hester Clere Parsons, another daughter of the Rev. Richard Edward Parsons, in 1940.[1]

Russell and his wife, the Countess, are buried in the churchyard of St Michael's, Chenies, together with other members of the Russell family.[7]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f Mosley, Charles, editor. Burke's Peerage and Baronetage, 106th edition, 2 volumes. Crans, Switzerland: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd, 1999 volume 1, pp. 69-70.
  2. ^ "No. 31663". The London Gazette. 28 November 1919. p. 14674.
  3. ^ "No. 32781". The London Gazette. 29 December 1922. p. 9161.
  4. ^ "No. 33417". The London Gazette. 31 August 1928. p. 5767.
  5. ^ "No. 32824". The London Gazette. 18 May 1923. p. 3522.
  6. ^ "No. 33179". The London Gazette (Supplement). 2 July 1926. p. 4405.
  7. ^ RUSSELL, Hon. Sir Odo (William Theophilus Villiers), Who Was Who, A & C Black, 1920–2008; online edn, Oxford University Press, Dec 2007, accessed 11 April 2012
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Diplomatic posts
Preceded by Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to the Swiss Confederation
1919–1922
Succeeded by
Preceded by Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary on a Special Mission to His Holiness the Pope
1922–1928
Succeeded by
Preceded by Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to Her Majesty the Queen of the Netherlands
1928–1933
Succeeded by