Follow
Please add profiles of those who were born, lived or died in Russell County, Alabama.
Official Wesbsite
Russell County was established by an act of the state general assembly on December 18, 1832, from lands ceded to the state by the Creek Tribe. Its name is in honor of Colonel Gilbert C. Russell, who fought in the wars against the Creek.
In the 1940s and 1950s, Russell County and especially its county seat, Phenix City gained a reputation of lawlessness, political corruption and being a den for vice such as organized crime, prostitution, and gambling. The city police and county deputies also took part in the corruption. In 1954, the local politician Albert Patterson won the Democratic nomination for Alabama Attorney General on a platform of ridding the city of corruption and crime. Patterson ran for a state office since he was unable to run in local elections, as they were rigged. On June 18, 1954, Patterson was shot and killed by an unknown assassin. The murder set off a series of events that led to Governor Gordon Persons declaring martial law in the county and city because of its lawlessness on July 22 that year. That was the only time since the Reconstruction era that martial law was declared in a US city for reasons other than civil unrest or natural disaster. The Alabama National Guard was called in to assume the role of the police and clean up the area of illegal activities. The state of martial law was rescinded on 17 January 1955, with Russell County and Phenix City both returning to civilian control. In 1974, the New York Times noted that the campaign as very successful and led to a relatively low crime rate in Phenix City for the 20 years since then.
Adjacent Counties
- Lee County
- Muscogee County, Geo.
- Chattahoochee County, Geo.
- Stewart County, Geo.
- Macon County
- Bullock County
- Barbour County
Cities, Towns & Communities
- Cottonton
- Crawford
- Fort Mitchell
- Girard
- Glenville
- Hatchechubbee
- Holy Trinity
- Hooks
- Hurtsboro
- Jernigan
- Ladonia
- Phenix City (County Seat, part)
- Pittsview
- Seale
- Uchee
- Wende
Links