Fonds F1943 - Robin Russell fonds

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Robin Russell fonds

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Fonds

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Dates of creation area

Date(s)

  • 1951-1999 (Creation)
    Creator
    Russell, Robin

Physical description area

Physical description

7 m of textual records, ca. 10 photographs

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Archival description area

Name of creator

(1941-)

Biographical history

Robin Russell, a prominent Liberal, was born in 1941 at Cobourg, Ontario. After graduating in Political Science from Waterloo, in 1964, he was employed, in 1965, by the Speaker of the House of Commons on the Inter-Parliamentary Secretariat. In 1967, he was Provincial Candidate, (Liberal) for Northumberland; he lost that election. From 1967 to 1971, he was Special Assistant to the Leader of the Opposition at Queen's Park, Robert Nixon. Except for the years from 1971 to 1975, when he worked as a property manager and as Administrative Assistant for Toronto's multi-heritage festival, Caravan, Mr. Russell has made his career in politics. From 1979 on, this career has consisted of a variety of jobs that might, all together, be summed up by calling him a part of the "Political Staff" of the Liberal Party. This does not mean that he was employed directly by the Party, usually he received a government salary as part of a Member of Parliament's staff and was required to resign when that member left office. His work alternated between provincial and federal politics and he was frequently employed by various "Campaign Committees" working for the election of Liberal candidates. More specifically, his work included inter-ministerial liaison; special events design and implementation; scheduling: supervision, implementation and protocol; communications strategy; speech writing and research; political organizing and training; re-election planning, sensitivity to urban, rural and multicultural realities. By 1999, Robin Russell had served on the political staff of five federal ministers and one provincial minister.

Custodial history

Scope and content

The fonds consists of correspondence, memoranda, research notes and various records detailing Mr. Russell's personal and professional life from his university years until 1999. Included here are files about Mr. Russell's family, his teaching career at Ryerson Polytechnical Institute, his investments both in property and the stock market, and a large number of personal letters. As with his personal life, Robin Russell seems to have saved virtually everything of any interest at all from his professional career. Here are correspondence he had with a wide range of individuals regarding sometimes very sensitive matters. There are files, including the transcript of a court case at which he testified, and memos to various cabinet ministers and members of Parliament for which he worked. There are records of the many election campaigns, including his own, that he fought over the years. Political analysis done for the Liberal party, travel vouchers, files on Royal Tours and even expense accounts are all included here.

Notes area

Physical condition

Immediate source of acquisition

Donated by Mr. Robin Russell - 1997, 1999

Arrangement

To make the material more accessible for researchers, the fonds has been divided into series that roughly coincide with Mr. Russell's employment record. This breakdown into series can be regarded as a rough outline of Mr. Russell's career and life, but no more than that.

Language of material

  • English

Script of material

Location of originals

5142.1
5146.3

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Restrictions on access

Certain restrictions apply

Terms governing use, reproduction, and publication

Copyright provisions may apply, please consult archivist.

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No further accruals are expected

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Location (use this to request the file)

  • Shelf: 5142.1
  • Shelf: 5146.3