Oliver Russell, 2nd Baron Ampthill

Who was Oliver Russell, 2nd Baron Ampthill?

Oliver 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 19 February 1869 to Odo Russell, 1st Baron Ampthill, and Lady Emily Russell in Rome and was educated at Eton and Oxford. Oliver Russell succeeded to the barony of Ampthill at the age of 15 on the death of his father.

Russell served as the Assistant Private Secretary to Joseph Chamberlain in 1895 to 1897 and then Private Secretary from 1897 to 1900, when he was appointed Governor of Madras. At the age of 31, Russell became the youngest-ever to be appointed Governor of Madras and served from 1900 to 1906. Russell also served as the Viceroy of India from April to December 1904, when Lord Curzon was re-elected for a second term.