Russell Benjamin Shepherd (September 14, 1829 - January 1, 1901) was an American businessman and politician from Maine.
He then went into teaching for five years which included time as the Principal of Bloomfield Academy and the girls' high school in Bangor, Maine.
In August 1862 he joined the Union Army, being commissioned as First Lieutenant and adjutant in the 18th Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment.
When he mustered out of service on September 8, 1865, Shepherd was the regiment's commander with the rank of Colonel.
He purchased a cotton plantation in Georgia after leaving the Army, where he resided for nearly a decade.