James McPherson RUSSELL, Congress, PA (1786-1870)

RUSSELL, James McPherson, (father of Samuel Lyon Russell), a Representative from Pennsylvania; born in York, Pa., November 10, 1786; moved with his parents to a farm near Gettysburg, Adams County, Pa.; attended the classical academy of James Ross in Chambersburg; studied law; was admitted to the bar of Franklin County in 1807; was admitted to the Bedford County bar in 1808 and commenced practice in Bedford, Pa.; first burgess of Bedford Borough in 1818 and 1819; member of the State constitutional convention in 1837; elected as a Whig to the Twenty-seventh Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Henry Black and served from December 21, 1841, to March 3, 1843; was not a candidate for renomination in 1842; resumed the practice of law; trustee of the Bedford Academy and secretary of the Chambersburg & Bedford Turnpike Co.; died in Bedford, Pa., November 14, 1870; interment in Bedford Cemetery.

Source: Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1771-Present