John Edwards 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 Massachusetts

Massachusetts

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...

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Born in Greenfield, Massachusetts

Greenfield, Massachusetts

Greenfield is a city in Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 17,456 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Franklin County. Greenfield is home to Greenfield Community College, the Pioneer Valley Symphony Orchestra, and the Franklin County Fair...

, Russell was instructed by private tutors.
He returned to Massachusetts and became interested in mail transportation west of the Mississippi River

Mississippi River

The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...

 and in steamship lines on the Pacific coast.
He engaged in agricultural pursuits.

Russell was elected secretary of the Massachusetts State Board of Agriculture in 1880.
He was reelected five times.

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 Fiftieth

50th United States Congress

The Fiftieth 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, 1887 to March 4, 1889, during the third and fourth...

 (March 4, 1887-March 3, 1889).
He served as delegate to the Democratic National Convention

Democratic National Convention

The Democratic National Convention is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 1852 national convention...

 in 1892.
He was an unsuccessful candidate for Governor of Massachusetts in 1893 and 1894.
He served as member of the Deep Waterways Commission.
He died in Leicester, Massachusetts

Leicester, Massachusetts

Leicester is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 10,970 at the 2010 census.-History:Leicester was first settled in 1713 and was officially incorporated in 1714....

, October 28, 1903.
He was interred in Pine Grove Cemetery

Pine Grove Cemetery

Pine Grove Cemetery or "First Meetinghouse Burying Ground" is an historic cemetery on Tremaine and Main Streets in Leominster, Massachusetts.The cemetery was founded in 1776 and added to the National Register of Historic Places on March 12, 2008....

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