John Russell was an English landowner and Justice of the Peace who held the position of Speaker of the House of Commons of England between 1423 and 1424.

Russell sat in the Parliaments of 1410, 1411 and 1417 as a proxy for the Abbot of Gloucester

Abbot of Gloucester

Abbot of Gloucester was the title of the head of Gloucester Abbey in Gloucester, England. The following table lists some of the abbots, and is taken from Heads of Religious Houses: England and Wales 940 to 1216....

; and also in later parliaments between 1414 and 1433 having been elected to the House of Commons

House of Commons of England

The House of Commons of England was the lower house of the Parliament of England from its development in the 14th century to the union of England and Scotland in 1707, when it was replaced by the House of Commons of Great Britain...

 as knight of the shire for Herefordshire

Herefordshire (UK Parliament constituency)

The county constituency of Herefordshire, in the West Midlands of England bordering on Wales, was abolished when the county was divided for parliamentary purposes in 1885...

 in his own right. He was appointed High Sheriff of Herefordshire

High Sheriff of Herefordshire

The Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the Sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries most of the responsibilities associated with the post have been transferred elsewhere or are now defunct, so that its functions are now...

 in 1417. He made an unsuccessful attempt to become speaker in 1420 losing to Roger Hunt

Roger Hunt (speaker)

Roger Hunt was an English MP and Speaker of the House of Commons.He was of obscure origins, but acquired the manor of Molesworth in Huntingdonshire and acquired a circle on influential friends such as Sir John Tiptoft and John Mowbray, the future Duke of Norfolk...

, but was elected to the role in 1423.

Russell gave the speech of welcome at the infant Henry VI

Henry VI of England

Henry VI was King of England from 1422 to 1461 and again from 1470 to 1471, and disputed King of France from 1422 to 1453. Until 1437, his realm was governed by regents. Contemporaneous accounts described him as peaceful and pious, not suited for the violent dynastic civil wars, known as the Wars...

's first appearance before the assembled House of Commons and House of Lords

House of Lords

The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....

on 17 November 1423.

He was again elected as Speaker in 1432.