sentences:  Russell was a member of the Hawke's Bay Provincial Council from 1870 until the abolition of the provinces in 1876.He won the election for the Napier electorate in the New Zealand Parliament on 30 December 1875 in the 1875 general election, and was re-elected on 8 September 1879 in the 1879 general election.In 1881 after an electorate redistribution, he was defeated by Fred Sutton for the Hawke's Bay electorate.