Ella King Russell Torrey

Ella King Russell Torrey (August 7, 1925 – April 14, 2020) was an American public information officer for Eleanor Roosevelt, a human rights activist, and a recipient of the United Nations Human Rights Hero Award.

Early life and education Ella King Russell was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Norman F.S. and Ella D. Russell. The family lived in Edgewater Park, New Jersey. Russell attended Agnes Irwin School in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. She was an aspiring dancer and auditioned for the Rockettes after graduation, but was not selected for the dance company. She continued her studies at the University of Pennsylvania, but moved to Paris six weeks before receiving her master's degree.

Career Russell became fashion editor for the Chicago Tribune’s Paris bureau and then editor at the Paris bureau of Egyptian newspaper Al-Misri. She returned to the United States in 1949 and began her position as information officer at the United Nations where she wrote reports on meetings of the Security Council, General Assembly, and U.N. committees.

Death and legacy Torrey died of complications from COVID-19 in Philadelphia on April 14, 2020, at age 94, during the COVID-19 pandemic in Philadelphia. It was later announced a memorial service would be held later at Cathedral Village, to commemorate Torrey.