The son of Alexander Russel of The Scotsman, he was born in March 1849 at Edinburgh in, where he was educated at the Royal High School.
Russel's playing association with the MCC lasted until 1891, with him appearing in 74 first-class matches for the club.
[4] This season included a match winning performance against Somerset, where he made scores of 56 and 83 opening the batting to help the MCC to a one wicket victory.
[2] Outside of cricket, he worked as a merchant based in Newcastle upon Tyne, where he played minor matches for Northumberland.
[1] When Henry Perkins retired from the position of MCC secretary, Russel initially stood in the election to be his replacement, though he eventually withdrew leaving Francis Lacey unopposed.