Representative Benjamin Edward Russell

Benjamin Edward Russell (October 5, 1845 – December 4, 1909) was a Democratic U.S. Representative from Georgia who served two terms in the United States Congress from 1893 to 1897. A cousin of Rienzi Melville Johnston, he participated actively in the legislative process during a significant period in American history, representing the interests of his Georgia constituents in the House of Representatives.

Russell was born in Monticello, Jefferson County, Florida, on October 5, 1845. In 1854 he moved with his parents to Decatur County, Georgia, where he was raised. He attended the common schools of the area, receiving a basic formal education typical of rural southern communities in the mid-nineteenth century. His early years in Georgia established the local ties that would later shape his career in journalism and public service.

During the American Civil War, Russell entered the Confederate States Army at a young age, initially serving as a drummer boy in the First Georgia Regiment. When that regiment was disbanded, he immediately reenlisted in the Eighth Florida Regiment. He continued with this unit during the last three years of the war, rising to the rank of first lieutenant. His wartime service, beginning in a noncombatant support role and culminating in a commissioned rank, reflected both his youth at the outset of the conflict and his increasing responsibilities as the war progressed.

After the Civil War, Russell entered the printing and newspaper business, a field that would remain central to his professional life. He settled in Bainbridge, Decatur County, Georgia, where he became editor of the Bainbridge Democrat, a local newspaper that provided him with a platform in community affairs and Democratic Party politics. Through his editorial work, he gained prominence as a spokesman for local interests and a supporter of Democratic policies in the post-Reconstruction South.

Russell’s involvement in public life expanded beyond journalism into formal political roles at the state and local levels. He served as a delegate to the Georgia constitutional convention of 1877, which framed a new state constitution in the aftermath of Reconstruction. He was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1880, reflecting his growing influence within the party. Locally, he served as mayor of Bainbridge in 1881 and 1882, and he was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives, serving in 1882 and 1883. From 1885 to 1890 he held federal office as postmaster of Bainbridge, further strengthening his administrative experience and political connections.

Building on this record of state and local service, Russell was elected as a Democrat to the Fifty-third and Fifty-fourth Congresses, serving in the U.S. House of Representatives from March 4, 1893, to March 3, 1897. As a member of the House during a period marked by economic upheaval and debates over monetary policy, tariffs, and federal authority, he contributed to the legislative process over two consecutive terms. He represented his Georgia district as part of the Democratic majority and then minority during the shifting political landscape of the 1890s. Russell chose not to be a candidate for renomination in 1896, concluding his congressional service at the end of his second term.

After leaving Congress, Russell returned to Bainbridge and resumed publication of the Bainbridge Democrat, continuing his long-standing role as a local editor and opinion leader. He remained in Bainbridge for the rest of his life, maintaining his engagement in community affairs through his newspaper and his standing as a former congressman and veteran. Benjamin Edward Russell died in Bainbridge, Georgia, on December 4, 1909. He was interred in Oak City Cemetery in Bainbridge, closing a life that had encompassed military service, journalism, municipal leadership, state legislative work, and two terms in the United States Congress.