John Russell

John Russell (September 7, 1772 – August 2, 1842) was an American medical doctor, merchant and a United States representative from New York.

Early life Russell was born in Branford in the Connecticut Colony on September 7, 1772. He was the second son of Federalist New York State Senator and Assemblyman Ebenezer Russell and Elizabeth (née Stork) Russell (a daughter of Capt. Moses Stork). His paternal grandparents were Mary (née Barker) Russell and John Russell.

He attended the public school, moved to New York State, studied medicine, and practiced a short time in Cooperstown, New York.

After he left Congress, he was a presidential elector on the DeWitt Clinton ticket in 1812. He engaged in mercantile pursuits. Together, they were the parents of:

Rensselaer William Russell (1803–1825), who attended the Schenectady Academy (today known as Union College) where he was a member of the Philomathean Society. Catharine Ann Russell (1805–1875), who married, as his second wife, United States Supreme Court Justice Samuel Nelson (1792–1873) in 1825.

His wife died on December 25, 1838. He died in Cooperstown on August 2, 1842. His interment was located at its Christ Episcopal Churchyard. he was a grandfather of six, including Rensselaer Russell Nelson (1826–1904), a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Minnesota.