John Russell (September 20, 1822 – November 3, 1912) was a Methodist preacher who became a leading advocate for prohibition during the 1870s.

[1] Russell helped organize the Prohibition Party, was its first National Committee Chairman,[2] and was the party's running mate for James Black in the 1872 United States presidential election.

As a journalist, Russell published the Detroit Peninsular Herald as the first prohibition newspaper.

In 1869, he made calls for a convention to form a party in favor of alcoholic prohibition and in Chicago, Illinois he was selected as its first national committee chairman.

He died on November 4, 1912, in Detroit, Michigan.