Russell was born on November 2nd 1897, in Winder, Barrow County in Georgia. His father was Richard B. Russell Sr., a lawyer, state legislator, businessman, and judge. His mother was Ina Dillard Russell who was a teacher. He was the fourth child and also the first son. His family would later on have more children adding up to thirteen children in all.
He was homeschooled with his other siblings until 1910. When he was just thirteen years old in 1911, he attended Gordon Institute in Barnesville, and graduated in 11914 from the Seventh District Agricultural and Mechanical School which would later be called John McEachern High School in Powder Springs. In 1915, he attended the University of Georgia and was part of many different social groups.…show more content… He was only twenty-three at the time and was the youngest member of that body. He gained much recognition and advanced quickly. He then was elected Speaker pro tempore by the state house in 1923 and 1925, and in 1927 he was elected Speaker of the House and kept the position until 1931.
Russell was a big advocate for building and improving highways, he supported public education, and called for reducing the control of special-interest groups in order to develop a fiscally responsible and efficient state government.
In 1930, Russell decided to run for governor and in June of 1931, he took the oath of office. His most significant achievement was a comprehensive reorganization of the state government, which was accomplished by reducing the number of agencies from one hundred and two to seventeen.
In 1932, after U.S. senator William Harris had died, Russell decided to run for U.S. Senate. After a harsh campaign, Russell had won against Charles Crisp, a veteran congressman. He then entered the U.S. senate in 1933 and was the youngest member.
Russell was awarded an unheard-of freshman spot on the important Appropriations Committee, and became chairman of its subcommittee on…show more content… He soon did whatever he could to stop the bill. He soon developed a reputation as the leader of the white supremacists in Senate. When the Civil Rights Act of 1964 became a law, Russell urged compliance and counseled against any violence or forcible resistance.. he was the only opponent of the bill to do so. In 1956 he co-authored the “Southern Manifesto” to oppose racial desegregation, and he led southern senators in their opposition to the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
In 1933 Russell was appointed to the Naval Affairs Committee, and he continued to serve when that committee and the Military Affairs Committee were reorganized in 1946 to form the Armed Services Committee. He chaired the Armed Services Committee during two major wars, from 1951 to 1953, and from 1955 to 1969, and was instrumental in boosting the defense budget.
Russell competed in the 1952 Democratic presidential primary, but was not considered at all to any of the northern Democratic leaders who saw his support for segregation to be against their beliefs.
President Harry S. Truman signs the (Russell-Ellender) National School Lunch Act into law. The act assured every child of a well-balanced, low-cost meal at
