William Russell (Australian politician)

William Russell
Senator for South Australia
In office 1 January 1907 – 28 June 1912
Succeeded by	John Shannon
Personal details
Born	(1842-10-20)20 October 1842 Glassford, Lanarkshire, Scotland
Died	28 June 1912(1912-06-28) (aged 69) Tumby Bay, South Australia
Nationality	Scottish Australian
Political party	Labor
Occupation	Solicitor

William Russell (20 October 1842 – 28 June 1912) was a Scottish-born Australian politician. Born in Lanarkshire, he was educated in Scotland before becoming a farm worker. Migrating to Australia in 1866, he became a solicitor in 1873 and farmed in South Australia. He served on the Caltowie and Carrieton district councils, and joined the Labor Party in 1894. In 1895, he was elected to the South Australian Legislative Council; he departed the Council in 1900, winning the House of Assembly seat of Burra in 1901. He left the Assembly in 1902. In 1906, he was elected to the Australian Senate as a Labor Senator for South Australia. He died in 1912, necessitating an appointment to replace him; the South Australian Parliament, controlled by the Liberal Party, successfully installed Liberal John Shannon, the first instance when a Senator of a different party was appointed.