Henry Chamberlain Russell [1] (1836-1907), astronomer and meteorologist, was born on 17 March 1836 at West Maitland, New South Wales, second son of Bourn Russell (1794-1880) and his wife Jane, née Mackreth. Bourn Russell, born at Rye, Sussex, England, was part-owner and commander of ships on the India, China and South Sea runs and surveyed parts of Sakhalin Island, the north coast of Japan, the Solomon Islands, the Louisiade Archipelago, Dampier Strait and New Guinea. He arrived in Sydney in 1826 and after some whaling ventures opened a store at West Maitland in 1835. Elected to the first Legislative Assembly of New South Wales in 1856, he was later disqualified; in 1858-80 he was in the Legislative Council.
In 1861 Emily Jane Foss marries Henry Chamberlain Russell in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. [2]
Educated at West Maitland Grammar School and the University of Sydney (B.A., 1859), Henry joined the Sydney Observatory under Rev. W. Scott. In 1862-64 he was acting director and succeeded G. R. Smalley as government astronomer on 12 July 1870 with a salary of £555. Russell reorganized the observatory for systematic work on star positions and observations of double stars and star clusters; he also re-established the meteorological stations discontinued by Smalley. In 1871 with R. L. J. Ellery he organized an expedition to Cape Sidmouth to observe a total eclipse of the sun. In 1874 he sent parties to Woodford, Goulburn and Eden, while in Sydney he observed the transit of Venus; next year he went to England to present his results to the Royal Astronomical Society and to buy instruments for trigonometrical survey. . . . more . . adb.anu.edu
He dies in 1907 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. [3]
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