Professor Earl Russell Conrad Russell

Liberal Democrat peer Professor Earl Russell Conrad Russell died peacefully this morning, aged 67, after a long illness.

Conrad Russell was the fifth Earl Russell. His great grandfather was the Liberal Prime Minister Lord John Russell, and his father was the philosopher Bertrand Russell.

Educated at Eton and Merton College Oxford, Conrad Russell became a Lecturer in History at Bedford London and Reader in History from 1974-1979. From 1979 to 1984 Conrad Russell taught at Yale University in the United States. On his return to the UK, Conrad Russell taught at University College London, before becoming Professor of History at Kings College London in 1990 until his retirement in 2003.

Conrad Russell wrote widely, primarily focusing on political and parliamentary history. His publications include The Causes of the English Civil War (1990), The fall of the British Monarchies (1991), and An Intelligent Person's Guide to Liberalism (1999). Conrad Russell also wrote about the need for academic freedom, was a Fellow of the Royal Academy and a Trustee of the John Stuart Mill Institute.

In the Lords Conrad Russell focused on issues such as constitutional affairs, education and asylum. Conrad Russell was also the party’s spokesman in the House of Lords on Work and Pensions. In 1996 he was awarded the Highland Park/Spectator 'Peer of the year', and came top in the Party when the elections to retain hereditary peers were held in 1999.