His paternal grandfather, John Russell, the 1st Earl Russell, had been Prime Minister in the 1840s and 1860s, and was the second son of the 6th Duke of Bedford.
John Stuart Mill, the Utilitarian philosopher, was Russell's godfather.
John's wife Susan was also mentally ill, and eventually Russell and Edith became the legal guardians of their three daughters (two of whom, in turn, were later diagnosed with schizophrenia).
It is 20 years since JohnBertrand made the unlikely leap from competitive yachtsman to national hero and international sporting icon when he skippered Australia II to victory in the 1983 Americas Cup, ending 132 years of American supremacy.
JOHNBERTRAND: The Americans just had to win one race, and we came back from 3-1 to 3-2 to 3-3, and we competed in what they called the 'race of the century'.
JOHNBERTRAND: I don't think anyone in their wildest imagination or dreams could have imagined what this country was going through.
Feeds |
Contact