Patricia Russell

Patricia Russell, Countess Russell, was the third wife of philosopher Bertrand Russell and a significant contributor to his book, History of [Western Philosophy (Russell)|A History of Western Philosophy].
Lady Russell was born Marjorie Helen Spence in 1910. As her parents had always wanted a boy, she was nicknamed 'Peter,' a name she retained throughout her life. She met Bertrand Russell in 1930, when he was 58 and she was a 20-year-old undergraduate at the University of Oxford, hired by Russell's second wife, Dora Black, as a governess. The two began an affair, and they were married at the Midhurst register office on 18 January 1936. They had one son, Conrad Russell, [5th Earl Russell|Conrad Sebastian Robert Russell], the 5th Earl Russell, who became a prominent historian and one of the leading figures in the Liberal [Democrats (UK)|Liberal Democrat] party. They had an acrimonious separation in 1949.
Patricia was a member of the first board of the Harlow Development Corporation, serving from 1947 to 1950.