Ampthill started rowing at Eton.
His record of rowing was one of the longest of his time at Eton and
he first had an oar in the Dreadnought on 1 March 1885, going on to be Captain of the Boats in 1887
and 1888.[4]
Whilst at New College, Oxford Ampthill rowed for Oxford three times against Cambridge in the Boat
Race (1889 to 1891), winning twice. He was president of both OUBC[5] and the Oxford Union in
1891. After Oxford, he rowed for Leander Club for a short while then moved to London Rowing Club,
becoming club president in 1893[6], a position he remained in for almost 40 years until his death in
1935.
Ampthill raced in the Ladies' Challenge Plate at Henley Royal Regatta for Eton in 1886, 1887 and
1888. In 1889 he raced both the Grand Challenge Cup and the Silver Goblets, losing in the final of
the latter by 2-foot to CUBC in a race which the Henley records for the year describe as "One of the
best and closest races ever seen" [7]
. In 1890 he again competed in both events, this time racing
under New College colours, and collected his first Henley medal, rowing with Guy Nickalls in the
Goblets.
In 1891, racing this time as Leander, Lord Ampthill was in the crew which won the Grand Challenge
Cup, setting a new course record. He also repeated his Goblets win, again with Guy Nickalls. Lord
Ampthill was elected a Steward of Henley Royal Regatta in 1896, a role he performed until 1900
then again from 1910 until 1927. [8]
Henley wins[edit]
● 1890 – Silver Goblets (rowing as New College Oxford, with Guy Nickalls)
● 1891 – Grand Challenge Cup (rowing as Leander Club)
● 1891 – Silver Goblets (rowing as Leander Club, with Guy Nickalls)
International Olympic Committee[edit]
Between 1894 and 1898, Lord Ampthill was a member of the original International Olympic
Committee.
Freemasonry[edit]
Ampthill was initiated into Apollo University Lodge No. 357, Oxford, in 1890. He went on to take the
chair in several lodges, including Bard of Avon Lodge No. 778, Hampton Court; Royal Alpha Lodge
No. 16, London; and Grand Master's Lodge No. 1, London. He was appointed Provincial Grand
Master of Bedfordshire in 1900 and as District Grand Master of Madras from 1901 to 1906.[9] He
served as Pro Grand Master of United Grand Lodge of England from 1908 until his death in 1935.[5]
Lodge Ampthill No.3682 was consecrated in his name in 1914, and continues to meet in
Coimbatore, India, under the District Grand Lodge of Madras of United Grand Lodge of England. Its
celebrated its Centenary year in 2014.
Honours[edit]
After his appointment as Governor of Madras, Russell was appointed a Knight Grand Commander of
the Order of the Indian Empire (GCIE) on 28 December 1900,[6] shortly before his departure for
India. He was later appointed a Knight Grand Commander of the Star of India (GCSI) on 2
September 1904.[citation needed]
See also[edit]
● List of Oxford University Boat Race crews
References[edit]
● ^ "New Governor of Madras" (PDF). The New York Times. 6 September 1900.
● ^ "A Journal of the Cochin State Forest Tramway".
● ^ "No. 28272". The London Gazette. 20 July 1909. p. 5541.
● ^ "Margaret Russell (née Lygon), Lady Ampthill (1874–1957), Wife of 2nd Baron Ampthill;
daughter of the 6th Earl Beauchamp". N ational Portrait Gallery, London.
● ^ Prior, Katherine (January 2008). "Russell, (Arthur) Oliver Villiers, second Baron Ampthill
(1869–1935)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford University Press. Retrieved 4
December 2014.
● ^ "No. 27260". The London Gazette. 28 December 1900. p. 8754.
Bibliography[edit]
● ^ Steward, HT (1903). Records of Henley Royal Regatta.
● ^ Parker, Eric (1914). Eton in the 'eighties. p. 92.
● ^ Ross, Gordon (1957). The Boat Race.
● ^ "Spy", Vanity Fair, 21 March 1891
● ^ Dodd, Chris (2006). Water Boiling Aft, London Rowing Club the first 150 years. p. 104.
● ^ Burnell, Richard (1989). Henley Royal Regatta, a celebration of 150 years. p. 213.
● ^ Anonymous (2003). Representative British Freemasons. pp. 12–13. ISBN
978-0766135895.
● ^ "none", The Times, p. 16d, 17 July 1935
● Kidd, Charles; Williamson, David (1990). Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage (1990 ed.).
New York: St Martin's Press. ISBN 0-333-38847-X.
● The London Gazette
● The New York Times, 2 December 1906, p. 1
External links[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has
media related to Oliver
Russell, 2nd Baron
Ampthill.
● "thePeerage.com". Retrieved 11 August 2007.
● "The rowers of Vanity Fair". Retrieved 1 March 2008.
Government offices
Preceded by Governor of Madras Succeeded by
Arthur Havelock 1900–1906 Sir Gabriel Stokes (acting)
Preceded by Viceroy of India, acting Succeeded by
The Lord Curzon of 1904 The Lord Curzon of
Kedleston Kedleston
Masonic offices
Preceded by Pro Grand Master of the Succeeded by
The Earl Amherst United Grand Lodge of England The Earl of Harewood
1908–1935
Peerage of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Baron Ampthill Succeeded by
Odo Russell 1884–1935 John Russell
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