View source for Richard Russell Jr.

{{Short description|American politician (1897&ndash;1971)}}
{{Other people|Richard Russell}}
{{Use American English|date=March 2020}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2024}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| image name          = Sen. Richard Russell, colour corrected (2).jpg
| caption             = Russell in 1952
| image size          = 
| order1              = [[President pro tempore of the United States Senate]]
| term_start1         = January 3, 1969
| term_end1           = January 21, 1971
| predecessor1        = [[Carl Hayden]]
| successor1          = [[Allen J. Ellender]]
| office2              = 34th [[Dean of the United States Senate]]
| term_start2         = January 3, 1969
| term_end2           = January 21, 1971
| predecessor2        = [[Carl Hayden]]
| successor2          = [[Allen J. Ellender]]
| order3              = Chair of the [[United States Senate Committee on Appropriations|Senate Committee on Appropriations]]
| term_start3         = January 3, 1969
| term_end3           = January 21, 1971
| leader3             = [[Mike Mansfield]]
| predecessor3        = [[Carl Hayden]]
| successor3          = [[Allen Ellender]]
| order4              = Chair of the [[United States Senate Committee on Armed Services|Senate Committee on Armed Services]]
| term_start4         = January 3, 1955
| term_end4           = January 3, 1969
| leader4             = {{unbulleted list|[[Lyndon B. Johnson]]|[[Mike Mansfield]]}}
| predecessor4        = [[Leverett Saltonstall]]
| successor4          = [[John C. Stennis]]
| term_start5         = January 3, 1951
| term_end5           = January 3, 1953
| leader5             = [[Ernest McFarland]]
| predecessor5        = [[Millard Tydings]]
| successor5          = [[Leverett Saltonstall]]
| jr/sr6              = United States Senator
| state6              = [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]]
| term_start6         = January 12, 1933
| term_end6           = January 21, 1971
| preceded6           = [[John S. Cohen]]
| succeeded6          = [[David H. Gambrell]]
| order7              = 66th [[Governor of Georgia]]
| term_start7         = June 27, 1931
| term_end7           = January 10, 1933
| predecessor7        = [[Lamartine Griffin Hardman]]
| successor7          = [[Eugene Talmadge]]
| office8             = [[List of speakers of the Georgia House of Representatives|Speaker of the Georgia House of Representatives]]
| term_start8         = 1927
| term_end8           = 1931
| predecessor8        = William Cecil Neill
| successor8          = Arlie Daniel Tucker
| state_house9        = Georgia
| constituency9       = {{nowrap|from [[Barrow County, Georgia|Barrow County]]}}
| term_start9         = 1921
| term_end9           = 1931
| predecessor9        = G. A. Jones
| successor9          = George Thompson
| birth_name          = Richard Brevard Russell Jr.
| birth_date          = {{birth date|1897|11|2}}
| birth_place         = [[Winder, Georgia]], U.S.
| death_date          = {{death date and age|1971|1|21|1897|11|2}}
| death_place         = [[Washington, D.C.]], U.S.
| alma_mater          = {{unbulleted list|[[Gordon State College]]|[[University of Georgia School of Law|University of Georgia]]}}
| profession          = [[Lawyer|Attorney]]
| party               = [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
| parents             = {{unbulleted list|[[Richard Russell Sr.]]|[[Ina Dillard Russell]]}}
| relatives           = [[Robert Lee Russell]] (brother)<br>[[Alexander Brevard Russell]] (brother)<br>[[John D. Russell]] (nephew)
| branch              = {{tree list}}
* {{flag|United States Navy}}
** [[United States Navy Reserve|Naval Reserve]]
{{tree list/end}}
| unit                = 
| battles             = [[World War I]]
| module              = {{Listen|pos=center|embed=yes|filename=Senate Recording Studio Film - Sen. Richard Russell and the Civil Rights Bill (of 1957).ogg|title=Russell's voice|type=speech|description=Russell speaks on Southern opposition to the [[Civil Rights Act of 1957]]<br/>Recorded 1957}}
}}

'''Richard Brevard Russell Jr.''' (November 2, 1897 – January 21, 1971) was an American politician. A [[Southern Democrat]], he served as the 66th [[List of Governors of Georgia|Governor of Georgia]] from 1931 to 1933 before serving in the [[United States Senate]] for almost 40 years, from 1933 to 1971. At his death he was the most senior member of the Senate.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.nga.org/cms/home/governors/past-governors-bios/page_georgia/col2-content/main-content-list/title_russell_richard.default.html |title=Richard Brevard Russell |website=National Governors Association |language=en |access-date=July 5, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.legion.org/distinguishedservicemedal/1971/sen-richard-b-russell|title=Sen. Richard B. Russell |website=The American Legion |language=en |access-date=July 5, 2018}}</ref> He was a leader of Southern opposition to the [[civil rights movement]] for decades.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/civil-rights-movement |title=Civil Rights Movement |website=History.com |date=October 27, 2009 |access-date=July 5, 2018}}</ref>

Born in [[Winder, Georgia]], Russell established a legal practice in Winder after graduating from the [[University of Georgia School of Law]]. He served in the [[Georgia House of Representatives]] from 1921 to 1931 before becoming Governor of Georgia. Russell won a special election to succeed Senator [[William J. Harris]] and joined the Senate in 1933.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.genealogymagazine.com/william-j-harris-biography/ |title=William J. Harris biography |website=Genealogy Magazine |access-date=September 20, 2018}}</ref> He supported the [[New Deal]]<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://kr.usembassy.gov/education-culture/infopedia-usa/history/great-depression-new-deal-1929-1941/ |title=The Great Depression and the New Deal (1929 to 1941) |publisher=U.S. Embassy & Consulate in Korea |access-date=July 5, 2018 |language=en-US |archive-date=July 5, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180705033148/https://kr.usembassy.gov/education-culture/infopedia-usa/history/great-depression-new-deal-1929-1941/ |url-status=dead}}</ref> in his Senate career but helped establish the conservative coalition of [[Southern Democrats]]. He was the chief sponsor of the [[National School Lunch Act]], which provided free or low-cost school lunches to impoverished students.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.fns.usda.gov/nslp/history_5|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131103090048/http://www.fns.usda.gov/nslp/history_5|url-status=dead|archive-date=November 3, 2013|title=National School Lunch Act |publisher=Food and Nutrition Service, USDA |language=en|access-date=July 5, 2018}}</ref>

During his long tenure in the Senate, Russell served as chairman of several committees, and was the Chairman of the [[United States Senate Committee on Armed Services|Senate Committee on Armed Services]] for most of the period between 1951 and 1969. He was a candidate for [[President of the United States]] at the [[1948 Democratic National Convention]] and the [[1952 Democratic National Convention]]. He was also a member of the [[Warren Commission]].<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.archives.gov/research/jfk/warren-commission-report/intro |title=Warren Commission – Introduction |date=August 15, 2016 |publisher=National Archives |access-date=July 5, 2018 |language=en}}</ref>

Russell supported [[Racial segregation in the United States|racial segregation]] and co-authored the [[Southern Manifesto]] with [[Strom Thurmond]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.politico.com/story/2009/03/southern-manifesto-introduced-march-12-1956-019897 |title=Southern Manifesto introduced, March 12, 1956 |work=Politico|access-date=July 5, 2018|language=en}}</ref> Russell and 17 fellow Democratic Senators, along with one Republican, blocked the passage of civil rights legislation via the [[Filibuster in the United States Senate|filibuster]]. After Russell's protégé, President [[Lyndon B. Johnson]], signed the [[Civil Rights Act of 1964]] into law,<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.politico.com/story/2018/07/02/lbj-signs-landmark-civil-rights-act-july-2-1964-680040|title=LBJ signs landmark Civil Rights Act, July 2, 1964|work=Politico|access-date=July 5, 2018|language=en}}</ref> Russell led a Southern boycott of the [[1964 Democratic National Convention]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://blog.dlg.galileo.usg.edu/?p=3793 |title=The 1964 Democratic National Convention and the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party – the DLG B |date=September 3, 2012 |publisher=blog.dlg.galileo.usg.edu|language=en-US|access-date=July 5, 2018}}</ref> Russell served in the Senate until his death from [[emphysema]] in 1971.

==Early life==
Richard B. Russell Jr. was born in 1897 as the first son of [[Supreme Court of Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia Supreme Court]] Chief Justice [[Richard Russell Sr.|Richard B. Russell Sr.]] and [[Ina Dillard Russell]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Richard B. Russell Jr. |url=https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/arts-culture/richard-b-russell-jr-1897-1971/ |access-date=April 24, 2023 |website=New Georgia Encyclopedia |language=en-US}}</ref> He eventually had a total of twelve adult siblings, as well as two who died before adolescence.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Caro |first=Robert |title=Master of the Senate: The Years of Lyndon Johnson |title-link=Master of the Senate|publisher=[[Alfred A. Knopf]] |year=2002 |isbn=0-394-52836-0 |location=New York |pages=164–169}}</ref>

Russell's father was a well-liked state representative for [[Clarke County, Georgia|Clarke County]] and a successful solicitor general for a seven-county circuit. However, he fared poorly in multiple attempts to become U.S. Senator for Georgia and Governor of Georgia.<ref name=":0" /> Due to his political failures, the Russell family lived below their financial means at times.

From an early age, the elder Russell trained his son to exceed his father's legacy in the state. As a result of the family's loss of their ancestral plantation and mill during [[Sherman's March to the Sea|Sherman's March]], Russell spent much time studying Civil War history.{{cn|date=September 2025}}

Russell enrolled in the [[University of Georgia School of Law]] in 1915 and earned a [[Bachelor of Laws]] (LL.B.) degree in 1918.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=R000536|title=Russell, Richard Brevard Jr. – Biographical Information|website=bioguide.congress.gov|access-date=March 18, 2018}}</ref> While at UGA, he was a member of the [[Phi Kappa Literary Society]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Fite |first1=Gilbert C. |title=Richard B. Russell Jr., Senator From Georgia |date=1991 |publisher=University of North Carolina Press |page=31}}</ref>

Dominated by white conservatives, Democrats controlled state government and the Congressional delegation. The Republican Party was no longer competitive, hollowed out in the state following the effective [[Disenfranchisement after the Reconstruction era|disenfranchisement of most blacks]] by Georgia's approval of a constitutional amendment, effective in 1908, requiring a literacy test, but providing a "grandfather clause" to create exceptions for whites.<ref name="todayinGA">{{cite web|url=https://www.todayingeorgiahistory.org/content/georgias-literacy-test|title=August 21: Georgia's Literacy Test|work=Today in Georgia History |publisher= Georgia Historical Society & Georgia Public Broadcasting|date=2011–2013 |access-date=June 6, 2021}}</ref>

== Early political career ==
Following his time at college, Russell briefly worked at a law firm with his father before successfully running for the [[Georgia House of Representatives]] at the earliest opportunity.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Caro |first=Robert |title=Master of the Senate: The Years of Lyndon Johnson |title-link=Master of the Senate|publisher=[[Alfred A. Knopf]] |year=2002 |isbn=0-394-52836-0 |edition= |pages=169–172}}</ref> Six years into his tenure, Russell ran unopposed for the Speakership at the age of 29. His popularity among his legislator colleagues came from his perceived integrity and willingness to build coalitions.<ref name=":1" />

==Governor of Georgia (1931–1933)==
[[File:Richard Russell Jr. (GA).png|thumb|left|Russell as governor]]
Russell's campaign for Governor was an untraditional one, it was not based in Atlanta and Russell at 33 would be the youngest Georgian Governor to that point if he was elected, but he did have the support of 90% of the state legislators. He won the election.<ref name="CaroSenate7">{{Cite book |last=Caro |first=Robert |title=Master of the Senate: The Years of Lyndon Johnson |title-link=Master of the Senate|publisher=[[Alfred A. Knopf]] |year=2002 |isbn=0-394-52836-0 |location=New York |chapter=7. A Russell of the Russells of Georgia}}</ref>

As governor, Russell reorganized the [[bureaucracy]], reducing the number of state agencies from 102 to 18,<ref name="CaroSenate7" /> promoted economic development in the midst of the [[Great Depression in the United States|Great Depression]], and balanced the state budget.<ref>{{cite web |title=Richard B. Russell Jr. Collection, Subgroup A: Georgia Legislative/Speaker of the House Papers |url=http://russelldoc.galib.uga.edu/russell/view?docId%3Dead%2Frussell_subgroupA.xml |access-date=December 5, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100611205935/http://russelldoc.galib.uga.edu/russell/view?docId=ead%2Frussell_subgroupA.xml |archive-date=June 11, 2010}}</ref>

During Russell's governorship, World War I veteran [[Robert Elliott Burns|Robert Elliot Burns]] released the autobiography ''[[I Am a Fugitive from a Georgia Chain Gang!|I Am A Fugitive from a Georgia Chain Gang!]]'', which had previously been serialized in [[True Detective (magazine)|''True Detective'']] magazine and later formed the basis for a popular Paul Muni [[I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang|film]] in November 1932.<ref name=":2">{{Cite book |last=Caro |first=Robert |title=Master of the Senate: The Years of Lyndon Johnson |title-link=Master of the Senate|publisher=[[Alfred A. Knopf]] |year=2002 |isbn=0-394-52836-0 |location=New York |pages=188–189}}</ref> The book details the multiple stints Burns served in the Georgia penal system and his attempts to escape.

Following the release of the book and the film adaptation, Russell attempted to extradite Burns from the state of New Jersey so Burns could continue to serve his sentence in Georgia. Russell denounced Burns' depictions of the horrific hard labor in his state, calling New Jersey Governor [[A. Harry Moore]]'s refusal to return Burns to Georgia "a slander on the state of Georgia and its institutions."<ref name=":2" />

==U.S. Senate career (1933–1971)==
===Electoral history===
Russell's first campaign for the Senate was as a result of a [[1932 United States Senate election in Georgia|special election]] in September 1932 after the death of [[William J. Harris]].  His opponent in the primary was Representative [[Charles R. Crisp|Charles Crisp]], who was nicknamed "Kilowatt Charlie" due to his links to the unpopular [[Georgia Power Company]].<ref name="CaroSenate7" />

In [[1936 United States Senate election in Georgia|1936]], Russell defeated the former [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] Governor [[Eugene Talmadge]] for the US Senate seat by defending the [[New Deal]] as good for Georgia.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Boyd|first1=Tim S. R.|title=Georgia Democrats, the Civil Rights Movement, and the Shaping of the New South|date=2012|publisher=University Press of Florida|location=Gainesville|isbn=9780813061474 |pages=35}}</ref>

===New Deal===
In 1933, when Russell came into the Senate, the Democrats had [[1932 United States Senate elections|just ousted]] the Republicans as the majority party and thus many committee assignments became available.<ref name="CaroSenate7" />  The vacancies and Russell's populist reputation from his time as Governor and his primary campaign meant that he got his first choice, [[United States Senate Committee on Appropriations|Appropriations]], in order to stop him becoming a second [[Huey Long]].<ref name="CaroSenate7" /> Due to a feud between [[Carter Glass]], the [[chairman of the Appropriations committee]], and the senior Democrat on the [[Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture]], [[Ellison D. Smith]], Russell became the chairman of that subcommittee. This assignment gave Russell extensive power over the funding of aid to farmers.<ref name="CaroSenate7" />

Russell supported the [[New Deal]] of President [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]] during the Great Depression.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CDOC-105sdoc8/pdf/CDOC-105sdoc8.pdf|title=Dedication and Unveiling of the Statue of Richard Brevard Russell, Jr., P.31}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zMI1O290OtQC&dq=Richard+B.+Russell,+Jr.,+Senator+from+Georgia+fair+labor+standards+act&pg=PA134|title=Richard B. Russell, Jr., Senator from Georgia|first=Gilbert C.|last=Fite|date=September 3, 1991|page=134|publisher=UNC Press Books|isbn=978-0-8078-5465-5 |via=Google Books}}</ref> Russell was elected on a moderately progressive platform, and supported bailout and aid programs for local governments.<ref name="mead">{{cite journal|last1=Mead|first1=Howard N.|title=Russell vs. Talmadge: Southern Politics and the New Deal|date=1981|publisher=Georgia Historical Society|journal=The Georgia Historical Quarterly|volume=65|issue=1|pages=28–45}}</ref> Once in the Senate, he became an ardent supporter of the Roosevelt administration and New Deal programs, and expressed his support for "the fullest measure of relief that the combined resources of this commonwealth will afford."<ref name="mead" /> Russell endorsed almost every New Deal act during the [[First 100 days of Franklin D. Roosevelt's presidency|"Hundred Days" Congress session]]; once a rift in the Democratic Party emerged in 1935, resulting in [[filibuster]]s and deadlocks, Russell continued to support the President and the New Deal. Howard N. Mead observes that even "when many other Southern politicians began to express some measure of discontent with the administration and its proposals, Russell remained firm in his support".<ref name="mead" /> When competing with conservative Talmadge for the Georgia Senate seat, Russell expressed his fervent support for income tax and social welfare, consistently praised the New Deal in his speeches, and attacked Talmadge for his fiscal conservatism.<ref name="mead" />

Once describing himself as "a liberal and progressive Democrat,"<ref>[https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Richard_B_Russell_Jr_Senator_from_Georgi/zMI1O290OtQC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Whatever+others+may+have+thought+of+Russell+s+political+philosophy,+he+considered+himself+a+liberal+and+progressive+Democrat&pg=PA160&printsec=frontcover Richard B. Russell, Jr., Senator from Georgia By Gilbert C. Fite, 1991, P.160]</ref> Russell continued to be an outspoken economic progressive even after World War II, and was the main sponsor of the 1946 [[National School Lunch Act]], which was eventually named after him.<ref name="james1" /> He expanded and carried out projects to distribute surplus food of Georgia to poor families through food stamps and school lunch programs, and wished to tackle rural poverty.<ref name="james1" /> After the establishment of a national school lunch program, Russell continuously pushed for funding it further throughout 1950s and 1960s, and sought active promotion and implementation of Georgian foods such as peanuts in the program. He saw this as a way to promote the interests of Georgian farmers.<ref name="james1" /> During the Johnson presidency however, Russell voted against the [[Economic Opportunity Act of 1964]], despite sympathizing with its objectives, believing (as noted by one study) “that the legislation as too loosely drawn and would result in huge amounts of waste.”<ref>[https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Richard_B_Russell_Jr_Senator_from_Georgi/zMI1O290OtQC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Richard+Russell+Job+corps&pg=PA424&printsec=frontcover Richard B. Russell, Jr., Senator from Georgia By Gilbert C. Fite, 1991, P.424]</ref>

===Military and foreign policy===
During [[World War II]], Russell was known for his uncompromising position toward Japan and its civilian casualties. In the late months of the war, he held that the US should not treat Japan with more leniency than Germany, and that the United States should not encourage Japan to sue for peace.<ref>"Correspondence between Richard Russell and Harry S. Truman, August 7 and 9, 1945, regarding the situation with Japan." ''Papers of Harry S. Truman: Official File''. [http://www.trumanlibrary.org Truman Library]</ref>

Russell was a prominent supporter of a strong national defense.<ref>Gilbert C. Fite, ''Richard B. Russell Jr., Senator from Georgia'' (1991) pp. 349–70.</ref> He used his powers as chairman of the [[Senate Armed Services Committee]] from 1951 to 1969, and then as chairman of the [[Senate Appropriations Committee]] as an institutional base to gain defense installations and jobs for Georgia. He was dubious about the [[Vietnam War]], privately warning President Johnson repeatedly against deeper involvement, remarking to President Johnson in 1964 that "It’s a hell of a... hell of a situation. It’s a mess, and it's going to get worse."<ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-12-16 |title=Conversation with RICHARD RUSSELL, May 27, 1964 {{!}} Miller Center |url=https://millercenter.org/the-presidency/secret-white-house-tapes/conversation-richard-russell-may-27-1964 |access-date=2025-08-19 |website=millercenter.org |language=en}}</ref>

===Opposition to civil rights===
[[Image:Lyndon Johnson and Richard Russell.jpg|thumb|left|Russell and President [[Lyndon B. Johnson]] in 1963]]

Russell voted against the [[Civil Rights Act of 1957|Civil Rights Acts of 1957]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes/85-1957/h42|title=HR 6127. CIVIL RIGHTS ACT OF 1957.|work=GovTrack.us}}</ref> the [[Civil Rights Act of 1960|Civil Rights Acts of 1960]],<ref>{{cite web |title=HR 8601. PASSAGE. |url=https://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes/86-1960/h102 |website=govtrack.us}}</ref> the [[Civil Rights Act of 1964|Civil Rights Acts of 1964]],<ref>{{cite web |title=H.R. 7152. PASSAGE. |url=https://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes/88-1964/h128 |website=govtrack.us}}</ref> and the [[Civil Rights Act of 1968|Civil Rights Acts of 1968]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=TO PASS H.R. 2516, A BILL TO ESTABLISH PENALTIES FOR … -- House Vote #113 -- Aug 16, 1967 |url=https://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes/90-1967/h113 |access-date=2024-01-11 |website=GovTrack.us |language=en}}</ref> as well as the [[Twenty-fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution|24th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution]]<ref>{{cite web |title=S.J. RES. 29. CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT TO BAN THE USE OF POLL TAX AS A REQUIREMENT FOR VOTING IN FEDERAL ELECTIONS. |url=https://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes/87-1962/h193 |work=GovTrack.us}}</ref> and the [[Voting Rights Act of 1965]].<ref>{{cite web |date=1965-07-09 |title=TO PASS H.R. 6400, THE 1965 VOTING RIGHTS ACT. |url=https://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes/89-1965/h87 |website=govtrack.us}}</ref>

Unlike [[Theodore Bilbo]], [[Ellison D. Smith|"Cotton Ed" Smith]], and [[James Eastland]], who had reputations as ruthless, tough-talking, heavy-handed [[race baiting|race baiters]], Russell never justified hatred or acts of violence to defend segregation.<ref name="CaroSenate7" /> But he strongly defended [[white supremacy]] and apparently did not question it or ever apologize for his segregationist views, votes and speeches. For decades Russell was a key figure in the [[Southern Caucus]] within the Senate that blocked or watered down meaningful civil rights legislation intended to protect African Americans from [[Lynching in the United States|lynching]], disenfranchisement, and disparate treatment under the law.<ref name="CaroSenate7" />

Russell strongly condemned President Truman's pro-desegregation stance and wrote that he was "sick at heart" over it. However, unlike many other Southern Democrats such as [[Strom Thurmond]], he did not walk out of the convention and support the [[Dixiecrats]].<ref name="stern1">{{cite journal|last1=Stern|first1=Mark|title=Lyndon Johnson and Richard Russell: Institutions, Ambitions and Civil Rights|date=1991|publisher=Wiley on behalf of the Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress|journal=Presidential Studies Quarterly|volume=21|issue=4|pages=687–704}}</ref>

In 1952, Russell was a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination; while he did not discuss civil rights while campaigning, his platform named "local self-government" one of the major "Jeffersonian Principles".<ref name="stern1" /> Russell claimed that the goal of his candidacy was to showcase the principles of "Southern Democracy" and to allow Southern Democrats to form a united front against the North. While he decisively defeated [[Estes Kefauver]] in the [[1952 Florida Democratic presidential primary|Florida primary]], Russell was opposed by most of Democrats as he refused to support the civil rights plank of the party.<ref name="stern1" /> [[James H. Rowe|Jim Rowe]] claimed that the sectional nature of the defeat shocked Russell and made him into a more parochial politician.<ref name="architect" />

In early 1956, Russell's office was continually used as a meeting place by the Southern Caucus,<ref name="CaroSenate7" /> and he was through most of the caucus's life the acknowledged leader of the group, sending out invitations to what he called "Constitutional Democrats".<ref name="CaroSenate8">{{Cite book |last=Caro |first=Robert |title=Master of the Senate: The Years of Lyndon Johnson |title-link=Master of the Senate|publisher=[[Alfred A. Knopf]] |year=2002 |isbn=0-394-52836-0 |location=New York |chapter=8. We of the South}}</ref> The caucus included fellow senators such as [[Strom Thurmond]], [[James Eastland]], [[Allen Ellender]], and [[John Stennis]], the four having a commonality of being dispirited with ''[[Brown v. Board of Education]]'', the 1954 ruling by the US Supreme Court that said that segregation in public schools was unconstitutional.<ref name=architect>{{cite book|title=LBJ: Architect of American Ambition|first=Randall|last=Woods|page=[https://archive.org/details/lbj00rand/page/303 303]|year=2006|publisher=Free Press|isbn=978-0684834580|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/lbj00rand/page/303}}</ref>

Russell was one of the strongest opponents of every desegregation measure in the Senate, but he remained loyal to the party. Although he called the 1960 Democratic Party platform a "complete surrender to the [[NAACP]] and the other extreme radicals at [[Los Angeles]]", he did agree to campaign for the Kennedy-Johnson ticket for the [[1960 United States presidential election]].<ref name="stern1" />

In January 1964, President Johnson delivered the [[1964 State of the Union Address]], calling for Congress to "lift by legislation the bars of discrimination against those who seek entry into our country, particularly those who have much needed skills and those joining their families."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=26787|title=91 – Annual Message to the Congress on the State of the Union.|date=January 8, 1964|first=Lyndon B.|last=Johnson|author-link=Lyndon B. Johnson|publisher=American Presidency Project}}</ref> Russell issued a statement afterward stating the commitment by Southern senators to oppose such a measure, which he called "shortsighted and disastrous," while admitting the high probability of it passing. He added that the civil rights bill's true intended effect was to intermingle races, eliminate states' rights, and abolish the checks and balances system.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=A7-hzOuI2KQC&dat=19640109&printsec=frontpage&hl=en|title=South's Senators To Fight 'Rights'|date=January 9, 1964|newspaper=[[Sarasota Herald-Tribune]]}}</ref>

[[File:Sen. Russell letter opposing civil rights act.pdf|right|thumb|150px|Letter from Russell about Civil Rights Act]]

After Johnson signed the [[Civil Rights Act of 1964]], Russell (along with more than a dozen other southern Senators, including [[Herman Talmadge]] and [[Russell Long]]) [[boycott]]ed the [[1964 Democratic National Convention]] in [[Atlantic City, New Jersey|Atlantic City]].<ref>Kornacki, Steve (February 3, 2011) [http://www.salon.com/news/politics/war_room/2011/02/03/reagan_southern_strategy/index.html The "Southern Strategy," fulfilled], ''[[Salon.com]]''</ref>

Although he had served as a prime mentor of Johnson, Russell and Johnson disagreed over [[Civil Rights Movement|civil rights]]. Johnson supported this as President. Russell, a segregationist, had repeatedly blocked and defeated federal civil rights legislation via use of the [[filibuster]].<ref>{{cite magazine|last1=Oberdorfer|first1=Don|title=The Filibuster's Best Friend|magazine=[[The Saturday Evening Post]]|date=March 13, 1965|volume=238|issue=5|page=90|url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=f5h&AN=17065279&site=eds-live|access-date=June 21, 2016}}</ref>

====Perception on race issues====
Russell was considered to be moderate in his support for segregation;<ref name="mead" /> in 1936, he often attacked [[race-baiting]], such as the claim that New Deal legislation would mostly benefit black people.<ref name="mead" /> [[W. J. Cash]] considered Russell "the better sort of Southerner," as he was ready to call out "ruffian appeals to race hatred" made by others.<ref name="mead" /> James Thomas Gay claimed that Russell "wished blacks no ill;"<ref name="james1">{{cite journal|last1=Gay|first1=James Thomas|title=Richard B. Russell and the National School Lunch Program|date=1996|publisher=Georgia Historical Society|journal=The Georgia Historical Quarterly|volume=80|issue=4|pages=859–872}}</ref> in the 1950s, Russell corresponded with a black voter from [[Dublin, Georgia]], Hercules Moore, who raised concerns that African-American children were being treated unfairly in the school lunch program, which was funded federally. Russell took the matter seriously and "later gave Moore satisfactory evidence that the program was being properly administered for children of both races.".<ref name="james1" />

===Abe Fortas nomination===
Russell's support for first-term senator [[Lyndon B. Johnson]] paved the way for Johnson to become [[Senate Majority Leader]]. Russell often dined at Johnson's house during their Senate days.<ref name="CaroSenate7" /> But, their 20-year friendship came to an end during Johnson's presidency, in a fight over the 1968 nomination as [[United States Chief Justice|Chief Justice]] of [[Abe Fortas]], Johnson's friend and Supreme Court justice.<ref>{{cite book
  | title = Abe Fortas
  | author = Laura Kalman
  | publisher = [[Yale University Press]]
  | year = 1990
  | isbn = 9780300046694
  | url = https://archive.org/details/abefortasbiograp00kalm
  | url-access = registration
  | access-date = October 20, 2008}}</ref>{{Page needed|date=June 2015}}

In June 1968, Chief Justice [[Earl Warren]] announced his decision to retire. President Johnson afterward announced the nomination of Associate Justice [[Abe Fortas]] for the position. David Greenburg wrote that when Russell "decided in early July to oppose Fortas, he brought most of his fellow Dixiecrats with him."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2005-may-03-oe-greenberg3-story.html|title=The Republicans' Filibuster Lie|date=May 3, 2005|work=Los Angeles Times}}</ref>

===Anti-Communism===
In May 1961, President [[John F. Kennedy]] requested Russell place the Presidential wreath at the [[Tomb of the Unknowns]] during an appearance at [[Arlington National Cemetery]] for a [[Memorial Day]] ceremony.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1961/05/24/archives/russell-to-honor-dead-georgia-senator-to-put-wreath-at-tomb-of.html|title=Russell to Honor Dead; Georgia Senator to Put Wreath at Tomb of Unknowns |date=May 24, 1961|work=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref>

Russell scheduled a closed door meeting for the Senate Armed Services Committee for August 31, 1961, at the time of Senator [[Strom Thurmond]] requesting the committee vote on whether to vote to investigate "a conspiracy to muzzle military anti-Communist drives."<ref>{{cite news|title=Sen. Thurmond Ask Probe of Plot to Muzzle| publisher=Yuma Sun Newspaper|date=August 30, 1961}}</ref>

In late February 1963, the Senate Armed Services Committee was briefed by Defense Secretary [[Robert McNamara]] on policy in the Caribbean. In response to what appeared to be an attack on an American shrimp boat by a "Russian Type Plane", Russell stated that he believed that it would be policy that American airmen would strike down any "Communist jets" in international waters that were attacking vessels, and only inquire on the aircraft's purpose there afterward.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=A7-hzOuI2KQC&dat=19630223&printsec=frontpage&hl=en|title=U.S. Maps Tougher Policy In Caribbean|publisher=Sarasota Herald Tribune}}</ref>

==Warren Commission==
From 1963 to 1964, Russell was one of the members of the [[Warren Commission]], which was charged to investigate the [[assassination of John F. Kennedy|assassination of President John F. Kennedy]] in November 1963. Originally Russell did not want to serve on the Warren Commission, telling President Lyndon B. Johnson that he did not like or have confidence in [[Earl Warren]], who was to head the commission.<ref>{{cite web |title=Telephone conversation between President Johnson and Senator Richard Russell. |url=https://americanradioworks.publicradio.org/features/prestapes/lbj_rr_092963.html |publisher=[[American Public Media]]}}</ref>

Russell's personal papers indicated that he was troubled by the Commission's [[single-bullet theory]], the [[Soviet Union]]'s failure to provide greater detail regarding [[Lee Harvey Oswald]]'s period in Russia, and the lack of information regarding Oswald's Cuba-related activities.<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Senator Russell's papers show he disagreed with Warren report |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=bhMwAAAAIBAJ&pg=3085%2C4917493 |newspaper=Rome News-Tribune |volume=150 |issue=246 |location=Rome, Georgia |agency=AP |page=6–A |date=October 17, 1993}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=HSCA Report, Vol. 11|page=14|url=http://www.aarclibrary.org/publib/jfk/hsca/reportvols/vol11/pdf/HSCA_Vol11_WC_1_Operations.pdf}}</ref> In a telephone conversation with President Johnson in September 1964 he expressed his disbelief in the single-bullet theory, to which Johnson replied that he did not believe it either.<ref>{{cite web |title=President Johnson Phone Call on the Warren Commission |url=https://www.c-span.org/program/american-history-tv/president-johnson-phone-call-on-the-warren-commission/366466 |website=c-span.org |publisher=[[C-Span]]}}</ref>

In a January 1970 television interview, Russell stated that he accepted Oswald shot Kennedy but that he doubted he had acted alone, explaining that "too many things caused me to doubt that he planned it all by himself".<ref>{{cite book |title=Investigation of the Assassination of President John F. Kennedy Hearings Before the Select Committee on Assassinations of the U.S. House of Representatives, Ninety-fifth Congress, Second Session · Volumes 10-12 |date=1978 |publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office |page=205}}</ref> Russell had written a [[dissenting opinion]] for the Warren Commission that "a number of suspicious circumstances" could not allow him to agree that there was no conspiracy to kill Kennedy and that citing a lack of evidence he believed this "preclude[d] the conclusive determination that Oswald and Oswald alone, without the knowledge, encouragement or assistance of any other person, planned and perpetrated the assassination". With Russell's agreement this statement was not included in the final report.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Wilkes |first1=Donald E. Jr. |title=Sen. Richard Russell and the Great American Murder Mystery |journal=Popular Media |date=2003 |volume=133 |url=https://digitalcommons.law.uga.edu/fac_pm/133}}</ref> Russell had also made a request to Warren that "Senator Russell dissents" be placed in a footnote of the final report, although he refused to do so, insisting that there must be unanimity among the Commission.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Wrone |first1=David R. |title=The Zapruder Film: Reframing JFK's Assassination |date=2013 |publisher=University Press of Kansas |page=246}}</ref>

==Legacy==
[[Image:Russell statue.jpg|thumb|A statue of Russell by [[Frederick Hart (sculptor)|Frederick Hart]] is in the rotunda of the [[Russell Senate Office Building]].]]

Russell was seen as a hero by many of the pro [[Jim Crow laws|Jim Crow]] South. While undoubtedly a skilled politician of immense influence, his lifelong support of [[white supremacy]] has marred his legacy.<ref name="auto">{{cite news
|title=Republicans can't even agree to take a segregationist's name off a building
|first=Jennifer
|last=Rubin
|date=August 29, 2018
|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]
|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/opinions/wp/2018/08/29/republicans-cant-even-agree-to-take-a-segregationists-name-off-a-building/}}</ref> Russell publicly said that America was "a white man's country, yes, and we are going to keep it that way." He also said he was vehemently opposed to "political and social equality with the Negro." Russell also supported [[Poll taxes in the United States|poll taxes]] across the South and called President Truman's support of civil rights for black Americans an "uncalled-for attack on our Southern civilization."<ref>{{Cite web|last=Zeitz|first=Joshua|title=Why It's Time to Rename the Russell Office Building|url=https://politi.co/2zFkJSX|access-date=January 5, 2022|website=POLITICO Magazine|date=September 30, 2018 |language=en}}</ref>

Russell has been honored by having the following named for him:

* The [[Russell Senate Office Building]], oldest of the three U.S. Senate office buildings. In 2018, Democratic Senate minority leader [[Charles Schumer]] called for the renaming of the building with the name of recently deceased Republican Senator [[John McCain]].<ref name="auto"/>
* The [[Richard B. Russell Special Collections Building]] at the [[University of Georgia]] in [[Athens, Georgia]], which houses the [[Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library]], the [[Russell Library for Political Research and Studies]], the [[Walter J. Brown Media Archives]], and the Peabody Awards Collection.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Richard B. Russell Building, Special Collections Libraries {{!}} UGA Libraries |url=https://www.libs.uga.edu/russell-library/foundation/russell-library/richard-b-russell-special-collections-libraries-building |access-date=November 9, 2022 |website=www.libs.uga.edu}}</ref>
* [[Russell Hall (Georgia)|Russell Hall]], a co-ed [[dormitory]] for first-year students at the [[University of Georgia]] in [[Athens, Georgia]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Russell Hall – University Housing |url=https://housing.uga.edu/russell-hall/ |access-date=November 9, 2022 |language=en-US}}</ref>
* Russell Hall, a building at the [[University of Georgia College of Public Health]] that houses nineteen classrooms within the [[University of Georgia]] in [[Athens, Georgia]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=HSC Russell Hall {{!}} University Architects |url=https://www.architects.uga.edu/home/historic-preservation/hpmp-galleries/hsc-russell-hall |access-date=November 9, 2022 |website=www.architects.uga.edu}}</ref>
* The Russell Auditorium at [[Georgia College & State University|Georgia College and State University]] in [[Milledgeville, Georgia]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.gcsu.edu/facilities|title=Facilities|date=September 10, 2015|access-date=September 11, 2016|archive-date=September 6, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160906022008/http://www.gcsu.edu/facilities|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* [[Richard B. Russell Lake|Richard B. Russell Dam and Lake]], part of the [[Richard B. Russell Multiple Resource Area]], located on the upper [[Savannah River]] between [[Elberton, Georgia]], and [[Calhoun Falls, South Carolina]]. A Georgia [[state park]] on the shores of that lake also [[Richard B. Russell State Park|bears Russell's name]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://gastateparks.org/info/richbruss/|website=gastateparks.org|title=Georgia State Parks – Richard B. Russell State Park |access-date=March 18, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170630233540/http://www.gastateparks.org/info/richbruss/|archive-date=June 30, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* The [[Richard B. Russell Airport]] in [[Rome, Georgia]], the regional [[general aviation]] airport serving [[Floyd County, Georgia]].<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.floydcountyga.org/Airport/about_air.htm | title = Richard B Russell Airport | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090504203253/http://www.floydcountyga.org/Airport/about_air.htm |archive-date=May 4, 2009 | url-status = dead}}</ref>
* Senator Russell's Sweet Potatoes are a favorite southern dish around the holidays.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.myfoodandfamily.com/member-recipe/00131155/senator-russells-sweet-potato-casserole|title=Senator Russell's Sweet Potato Casserole|website=My Food and Family}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://lostrecipesfound.com/senator-russells-sweet-potatoes/|title=Senator Russell's Sweet Potato Casserole – Lost Recipes Found|website=Lost Recipes Found}}</ref>
* [[USS Richard B. Russell|USS Richard B. Russell (SSN-687)]], a [[Sturgeon-class submarine|''Sturgeon''-class]] [[attack submarine]].
* Richard B. Russell Highway, a part of the [[Russell–Brasstown Scenic Byway]]
* Richard B. Russell Parkway in [[Warner Robins, Georgia]]
* Richard B. Russell Middle School in [[Winder, Georgia]]
In 2020, former [[Georgia Board of Regents]] Chairman [[Sachin Shailendra]] and then Chancellor [[Steve Wrigley]] of the [[University System of Georgia]] tasked an advisory group to review the names of buildings and colleges across all campuses within the [[University System of Georgia|USG]]. Members of the advisory group consisted of Marion Fedrick, the tenth and current president of [[Albany State University]] in [[Albany, Georgia]], [[Michael Patrick]] of [[Chick-fil-A]], retired judge Herbert Phipps of the [[Georgia Court of Appeals]], current chairman of the University of Georgia Foundation, [[Neal J. Quirk Sr.]], and Dr. Sally Wallace, the current dean of the [[Andrew Young School of Policy Studies]] of [[Georgia State University]] in [[Atlanta|Atlanta, Georgia]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Advisory Group To Review Names Used On University System of Georgia Campuses {{!}} Communications {{!}} University System of Georgia |url=https://www.usg.edu/news/release/advisory_group_to_review_names_used_on_university_system_of_georgia_campuse |access-date=November 9, 2022 |website=University System of Georgia}}</ref>

Despite recommendations from the advisory group to rename all buildings associated with Russell, the [[Georgia Board of Regents]] did not move forward with any of the final recommendations from the advisory group's report.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Naming Advisory Group {{!}} University System of Georgia |url=https://www.usg.edu/naming_advisory_group |access-date=November 9, 2022 |website=University System of Georgia}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Further sources==
===Primary sources===
* Logue, Calvin McLeod and Freshley, Dwight L., eds. (1997). ''Voice of Georgia: Speeches of Richard B. Russell, 1928–1969''.
* {{Cite web|last1=Nixon|first1=Richard|title=Remarks Honoring the Late Senator Richard Brevard Russell in Atlanta, Georgia. January 23, 1971|url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=fth&AN=32359559&site=eds-live&scope=site|publisher=American Reference Library – Primary Source Documents|access-date=June 21, 2016}}

===Scholarly secondary sources===
{{External media | width = 210px | float = right | headerimage= | video1 = [https://www.c-span.org/video/?30441-1/richard-b-russell-jr ''Booknotes'' interview with Gilbert Fite on ''Richard B. Russell Jr., Senator From Georgia'', August 2, 1992] [[C-SPAN]]}}
* Barrett, David M. (Winter 1988). "The Mythology Surrounding Lyndon Johnson, His Advisers, and the 1965 Decision to Escalate the Vietnam War". ''Political Science Quarterly'' 103, no. 4: 637–63. {{doi|10.2307/2150900}}.
* Campbell, Charles E. (2013). ''Senator Richard B. Russell and My Career as a Trial Lawyer''. Macon, GA: Mercer University Press.
* [[Caro, Robert A.]] (2002). ''[[Master of the Senate|The Years of Lyndon Johnson, Vol. 3: Master of the Senate]]''.
* [[Gilbert Fite|Fite, Gilbert]] (2002). [https://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=51073646 ''Richard B. Russell Jr., Senator from Georgia'']; {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080223225404/http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=51073646 |date=February 23, 2008}}
* Finley, Keith M. (2008). ''Delaying the Dream: Southern Senators and the Fight Against Civil Rights, 1938–1965''. Baton Rouge: LSU Press. {{ISBN|0807133450}}.
* {{Cite journal |last1=Franklin |first1=Sekou |date=2014 |title=The Elasticity of Anti-civil Rights Discourse: Albert Gore SR., Richard Russell, and Constituent Relations in the 1950s and 1960s |journal=Social Identities |volume=20 |issue=1 |page=90 |doi=10.1080/13504630.2013.840574 |s2cid=144032586}}
* {{Cite journal |last1=Gay |first1=James Thomas |title=Richard B. Russell and the National School Lunch Program |date=Winter 1996 |journal=The Georgia Historical Quarterly |publisher=Georgia Historical Society |volume=80 |issue=4 |pages=859–872 |jstor=40583600}}
* Goldsmith, John A. (1993). ''Colleagues: Richard B. Russell and His Apprentice, Lyndon B. Johnson''.
* Grant, Philip A. Jr. (Summer 1973)). "Editorial Reaction to the 1952 Presidential Candidacy of Richard B. Russell". ''Georgia Historical Quarterly'' 57(2): 167–178. {{JSTOR|40579514}}.
* Mann, Robert (1996). ''The Walls of Jericho: Lyndon Johnson, Hubert Humphrey, Richard Russell and the Struggle for Civil Rights''.
* {{Cite journal |last=Mead |first=Howard N. |date=1981 |title=Russell vs. Talmadge: Southern Politics and the New Deal |journal=The Georgia Historical Quarterly |volume=65 |issue=1 |pages=28–45 |publisher=Georgia Historical Society |jstor=40580744}}
* Potenziani, David (Fall 1981). "Striking Back: Richard B. Russell and Racial Relocation". ''The Georgia Historical Quarterly'' 65, no. 3: 263–77. {{JSTOR|40580793}}.
* Shelley, Mack C. II (1983). [https://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=106092311 ''The Permanent Majority: The Conservative Coalition in the United States Congress'']; {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090604174516/http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=106092311 |date=June 4, 2009}}.
* Stern, Mark (Fall 1991). "Lyndon Johnson and Richard Russell: Institutions, Ambitions and Civil Rights". ''Presidential Studies Quarterly'' 21, no. 4: 687–704. {{JSTOR|27550807}}.
{{Biographical Directory of Congress|R000536}}
* Ziemke, Caroline F. (Spring 1988). "Senator Richard B. Russell and the 'Lost Cause' in Vietnam, 1954–1968". ''Georgia Historical Quarterly''. 72(1): 30–71. {{JSTOR|40581768}}.

; Attribution
* {{Bioguide}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
{{Biographical Directory of Congress|R000536}}
* [http://ngeorgia.com/ang/Richard_Brevard_Russell,_Jr. Richard Brevard Russell Jr. biography] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130126011813/http://ngeorgia.com/ang/Richard_Brevard_Russell,_Jr. |date=January 26, 2013}}
* [http://www.trumanlibrary.org/whistlestop/study_collections/bomb/large/documents/pdfs/8.pdf#zoom=100 Letter from Senator Russell to President Truman 7 August 1945 after Bombing of Hiroshima] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180308053137/https://www.trumanlibrary.org/whistlestop/study_collections/bomb/large/documents/pdfs/8.pdf#zoom=100 |date=March 8, 2018}}
* [http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-1391 The New Georgia Encyclopedia entry for Richard B. Russell Jr.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120916094835/http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-1391 |date=September 16, 2012}}
* [http://www.libs.uga.edu/russell/ Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20100528055539/http://www.uga.edu/housing/tour/russell.html Russell Community and Hall at UGA]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20160207093149/http://www.gastateparks.org/info/richbruss/ Richard B. Russell State Park]
* {{Internet Archive film clip|id=gov.archives.arc.95749|description="Longines Chronoscope with Richard B. Russell"}}
* [http://dlg.galileo.usg.edu/CollectionsA-Z/bball_search.html Legends of the Dead-Ball Era, 1909–1913: Childhood baseball card collection of Richard B. Russell Jr.] from the [[Digital Library of Georgia]]
* [http://georgiainfo.galileo.usg.edu/topics/historical_markers/county/barrow/russell-house Russell House] historical marker
* {{C-SPAN|9254335}}

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{{s-ttl|title=[[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] nominee for [[List of Governors of Georgia|Governor of Georgia]]|years=[[1930 Georgia gubernatorial election|1930]]}}
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{{s-ttl|title=[[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] nominee for [[United States Senator|U.S. Senator]] from [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]]<br />([[Classes of United States Senators|Class 2]])|years=[[1932 United States Senate special election in Georgia|1932]], [[1936 United States Senate election in Georgia|1936]], [[1942 United States Senate election in Georgia|1942]], [[1948 United States Senate election in Georgia|1948]], [[1954 United States Senate election in Georgia|1954]], [[1960 United States Senate election in Georgia|1960]], [[1966 United States Senate election in Georgia|1966]]}}
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|title= [[List of governors of Georgia|Governor of Georgia]]
|years= 1931–1933
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|years= 1951–1953
|after= [[Leverett Saltonstall]]<br />Massachusetts}}
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|title=[[Dean of the United States Senate]]
|years = January 3, 1969 – January 21, 1971
|before = [[Carl Hayden|Carl T. Hayden]]<br />Arizona
|after  = [[Allen J. Ellender]]<br />Louisiana}}
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{{United States senators from Georgia}}
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{{Governors of Georgia}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Russell, Richard}}
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