Jonathan Russell (February 27, 1771 - February 17, 1832) was a United States Representative from Massachusetts and diplomat. Born in Providence, Rhode Island, Russell graduated from Brown University (then Rhode Island College) in 1791. He studied law and was admitted to the bar, but did not practice. He engaged in mercantile pursuits for a numbers of years.
He appointed by President James Madison to the Diplomatic Service in France in 1811. He transferred to England, where he was Chargé d’Affaires when war was declared against the United States in 1812. He was Minister to Norway and Sweden from January 18, 1814 to October 16, 1818.
He was one of the five commissioners that negotiated the treaty of peace at Ghent with Great Britain in 1814. He returned to the United States in 1818 and settled in Mendon, Massachusetts.
He became member of the State house of representatives in 1820 and was elected to the Seventeenth Congress (March 4, 1821-March 3, 1823). He was chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs (Seventeenth Congress).
He died in Milton, Massachusetts and was interred in the family plot on his estate in Milton.
This article incorporates facts obtained from the public domain Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
