Joseph Russell was a U.S. Representative

United States House of Representatives

The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...

 from New York

New York

New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

.

Born in New York and resided in Warrensburg, New York

Warrensburg, New York

Warrensburg, New York is a town in Warren County. An hamlet by the same name is recognized by U.S. Census Bureau as a census-designated place . According to the 2000 United States Census, the CDP comprises less than one-fifth of the town's total area, yet has about 75% of the town's population...

, Russell received a limited schooling.
Sheriff of Warren County, November 1834-November 1837.
He served as member of the New York state assembly, 1840.

Russell was elected as a Democrat

Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

 to the Twenty-ninth

29th United States Congress

-House of Representatives:During this congress, two House seats were added for each of the new states of Texas and Iowa.-Leadership:-Senate:* President: George M. Dallas * President pro tempore: Willie P. Mangum...

 Congress (March 4, 1845-March 3, 1847).

Russell was again elected to the Thirty-second

32nd United States Congress

The Thirty-second United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1851 to March 3, 1853, during the third and...

 Congress (March 4, 1851-March 3, 1853).

Source