Odo Russell, 1st Baron Ampthill
Encyclopedia
Odo William Leopold Russell, 1st Baron Ampthill GCB
GCMG
PC (20 February 1829 – 25 August 1884), known as Lord Odo Russell between 1872 and 1881, was a British diplomat and ambassador and the first British ambassador to the German Empire
. He was born in Florence
in 1829 into the Russell family, one of England's leading Whig/liberal aristocratic families. His father was Major-General Lord George William Russell, second son of the 6th Duke of Bedford
and his mother was Elizabeth Anne, Lady William Russell
, niece of the Marquess of Hastings
, who was Governor-General of India
during the final struggle with the Mahrattas
. His uncle was the first Earl Russell
, twice Prime Minister
.
His education, like that of his two brothers, Francis
, who became eventually 9th Duke of Bedford, and Arthur, who sat for a generation in the House of Commons
as member for Tavistock, was carried on entirely at home, under the general direction of his mother.
In March 1849 Odo was appointed by Lord Malmesbury
attaché at Vienna
. From 1850 to 1852 he was temporarily employed in the foreign office, whence he passed to Paris
. He remained there, however, only about two months, when he was transferred to Vienna. In 1853 he became second paid attaché at Paris, and in August 1854 he was transferred as first paid attaché to Constantinople
, where he served under Lord Stratford de Redcliffe
. He had charge of the embassy during his chief's two visits to the Crimea
in 1855, but left the East to work under Lord Napier
at Washington
in 1857. In the following year he became secretary of legation at Florence, but was detached from that place to reside in Rome
, where he remained for twelve years, until August 1870. During all that period he was the real though unofficial representative of England at the Vatican
, and his consummate tact enabled him to do all, and more than all, that an ordinary man could have done in a stronger position.
Russell's personal success with Otto von Bismarck
led to his appointment as ambassador at Berlin in October 1871. Always prudent, discreet, and just, his conduct of the embassy stood in distinct contrast to that of his predecessor, Lord Augustus Loftus, ‘foolish … pompous and inclined to swagger’ (Derby, diary, 10 Nov 1884, Stanley MSS, Lpool RO). Russell admired the new Germany and liked Germans: during his thirteen years in Berlin he never forfeited the confidence of Bismarck. Just as he had understood his Constantinople chief, Stratford de Redcliffe, and had never been broken by his suspicious rages, so too he achieved a sympathetic understanding of Bismarck. He withstood the Iron Chancellor's rages about real or imaginary plots, dispelled his darkest suspicions of British policy, and penetrated to the core of Bismarckian motives and strategy. Russell was trusted by Crown Princess Frederick and the Hohenzollerns, but his cordiality to Bismarck's enemies was never tainted by the suspicion of intrigue. Nor was the objectivity of his dispatches compromised by his private belief that Kulturkampf must fail, or by his revulsion at Bismarck's persecution of Roman Catholicism. From the outset, he recognized Germany's colonial aspirations, though his appreciation of this complex situation was imperfect. In 1879 he was responsible for the novelty of attaching a commercial expert to the Berlin embassy staff.
Ampthill was short, liverish, and stout from early manhood. He had an enormous head, a genial face, glinting golden spectacles, a generous mind, suave manners, and a gentle disposition. He was a heavy eater, though temperate in drink. He died of peritonitis on 25 August 1884, at his summer villa at Potsdam, and was interred on 3 September in the Bedford vault at Chenies. Bismarck thought him irreplaceable.
(a daughter of George Villiers, 4th Earl of Clarendon
) and they had six children:
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
GCMG
Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
PC (20 February 1829 – 25 August 1884), known as Lord Odo Russell between 1872 and 1881, was a British diplomat and ambassador and the first British ambassador to the German Empire
German Empire
The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
. He was born in Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
in 1829 into the Russell family, one of England's leading Whig/liberal aristocratic families. His father was Major-General Lord George William Russell, second son of the 6th Duke of Bedford
John Russell, 6th Duke of Bedford
John Russell, 6th Duke of Bedford KG, PC, LLD, FSA , known as Lord John Russell until 1802, was a British Whig politician and notably served as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland in the Ministry of All the Talents...
and his mother was Elizabeth Anne, Lady William Russell
Lady William Russell
Lady William Russell was the wife of Lord George William Russell and a notorious socialite.Elizabeth Anne was the only child of Captain the Hon. John Theophilus Rawdon , the brother of Francis Rawdon-Hastings, 1st Marquess of Hastings. She married Russell on 21 June 1817...
, niece of the Marquess of Hastings
Francis Rawdon-Hastings, 1st Marquess of Hastings
Francis Edward Rawdon-Hastings, 1st Marquess of Hastings KG PC , styled The Honourable Francis Rawdon from birth until 1762 and as The Lord Rawdon between 1762 and 1783 and known as The Earl of Moira between 1793 and 1816, was an Irish-British politician and military officer who served as...
, who was Governor-General of India
Governor-General of India
The Governor-General of India was the head of the British administration in India, and later, after Indian independence, the representative of the monarch and de facto head of state. The office was created in 1773, with the title of Governor-General of the Presidency of Fort William...
during the final struggle with the Mahrattas
Maratha Empire
The Maratha Empire or the Maratha Confederacy was an Indian imperial power that existed from 1674 to 1818. At its peak, the empire covered much of South Asia, encompassing a territory of over 2.8 million km²....
. His uncle was the first Earl Russell
John Russell, 1st Earl Russell
John Russell, 1st Earl Russell, KG, GCMG, PC , known as Lord John Russell before 1861, was an English Whig and Liberal politician who served twice as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in the mid-19th century....
, twice Prime Minister
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
.
Francis Russell, 9th Duke of Bedford
Francis Charles Hastings Russell, 9th Duke of Bedford KG was an English politician and agriculturalist.-Life:...
, who became eventually 9th Duke of Bedford, and Arthur, who sat for a generation in the House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
as member for Tavistock, was carried on entirely at home, under the general direction of his mother.
In March 1849 Odo was appointed by Lord Malmesbury
James Howard Harris, 3rd Earl of Malmesbury
James Howard Harris, 3rd Earl of Malmesbury GCB, PC , styled Viscount FitzHarris from 1820 to 1841, was a British statesman of the Victorian era.-Background and education:...
attaché at Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
. From 1850 to 1852 he was temporarily employed in the foreign office, whence he passed to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. He remained there, however, only about two months, when he was transferred to Vienna. In 1853 he became second paid attaché at Paris, and in August 1854 he was transferred as first paid attaché to Constantinople
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
, where he served under Lord Stratford de Redcliffe
Stratford Canning, 1st Viscount Stratford de Redcliffe
Stratford Canning, 1st Viscount Stratford de Redcliffe KG GCB PC , was a British diplomat and politician, best known as the longtime British Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire...
. He had charge of the embassy during his chief's two visits to the Crimea
Crimea
Crimea , or the Autonomous Republic of Crimea , is a sub-national unit, an autonomous republic, of Ukraine. It is located on the northern coast of the Black Sea, occupying a peninsula of the same name...
in 1855, but left the East to work under Lord Napier
Francis Napier, 10th Lord Napier
Francis Napier, 10th Lord Napier and 1st Baron Ettrick, KT, PC , was a Scottish polyglot, diplomat and colonial administrator. He served as the British Minister to the United States from 1857 to 1859, Netherlands from 1859 to 1860, Russia from 1861 to 1864, Prussia from 1864 to 1866 and as the...
at Washington
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
in 1857. In the following year he became secretary of legation at Florence, but was detached from that place to reside in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, where he remained for twelve years, until August 1870. During all that period he was the real though unofficial representative of England at the Vatican
Vatican City
Vatican City , or Vatican City State, in Italian officially Stato della Città del Vaticano , which translates literally as State of the City of the Vatican, is a landlocked sovereign city-state whose territory consists of a walled enclave within the city of Rome, Italy. It has an area of...
, and his consummate tact enabled him to do all, and more than all, that an ordinary man could have done in a stronger position.
Russell's personal success with Otto von Bismarck
Otto von Bismarck
Otto Eduard Leopold, Prince of Bismarck, Duke of Lauenburg , simply known as Otto von Bismarck, was a Prussian-German statesman whose actions unified Germany, made it a major player in world affairs, and created a balance of power that kept Europe at peace after 1871.As Minister President of...
led to his appointment as ambassador at Berlin in October 1871. Always prudent, discreet, and just, his conduct of the embassy stood in distinct contrast to that of his predecessor, Lord Augustus Loftus, ‘foolish … pompous and inclined to swagger’ (Derby, diary, 10 Nov 1884, Stanley MSS, Lpool RO). Russell admired the new Germany and liked Germans: during his thirteen years in Berlin he never forfeited the confidence of Bismarck. Just as he had understood his Constantinople chief, Stratford de Redcliffe, and had never been broken by his suspicious rages, so too he achieved a sympathetic understanding of Bismarck. He withstood the Iron Chancellor's rages about real or imaginary plots, dispelled his darkest suspicions of British policy, and penetrated to the core of Bismarckian motives and strategy. Russell was trusted by Crown Princess Frederick and the Hohenzollerns, but his cordiality to Bismarck's enemies was never tainted by the suspicion of intrigue. Nor was the objectivity of his dispatches compromised by his private belief that Kulturkampf must fail, or by his revulsion at Bismarck's persecution of Roman Catholicism. From the outset, he recognized Germany's colonial aspirations, though his appreciation of this complex situation was imperfect. In 1879 he was responsible for the novelty of attaching a commercial expert to the Berlin embassy staff.
Ampthill was short, liverish, and stout from early manhood. He had an enormous head, a genial face, glinting golden spectacles, a generous mind, suave manners, and a gentle disposition. He was a heavy eater, though temperate in drink. He died of peritonitis on 25 August 1884, at his summer villa at Potsdam, and was interred on 3 September in the Bedford vault at Chenies. Bismarck thought him irreplaceable.
Family
On 5 May 1868, Russell married Lady Emily VilliersEmily Russell, Baroness Ampthill
Emily Theresa Russell, Baroness Ampthill, VA was a British courtier.Born Lady Emily Theresa Villiers, she was the third daughter of George Villiers, 4th Earl of Clarendon and his wife, Katherine...
(a daughter of George Villiers, 4th Earl of Clarendon
George Villiers, 4th Earl of Clarendon
George William Frederick Villiers, 4th Earl of Clarendon KG, GCB, PC , was an English diplomat and statesman.-Background and education:...
) and they had six children:
- Hon. Arthur Oliver Villiers Russell, later 2nd Baron AmpthillArthur Russell, 2nd Baron AmpthillOliver Villiers Russell, 2nd Baron Ampthill, GCSI, GCIE, DL, JP was a British peer, rower and administrator who served as the Governor of Madras from October 1900 to February 1906 and acted as the Viceroy of India from April to December 1904.Oliver Russell was born on February 19, 1869 to Odo...
(1869-1935) - Hon. Odo William Theopilus Villiers Russell (1870-1951)
- Hon. Constance Evelyn Villiers Russell (1872-1942)
- Hon. Victor Alexander Frederick Villiers Russell (1874-1965)
- Hon. Alexander Victor Frederick Villiers Russell (1874-1965)
- Hon. Augusta Louise Margaret Romola Villiers Russell (1879-1966)