John Russell, 1st Earl Russell

John Russell (1792-1868) was Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs of Britain under Prime Minister Henry Temple Palmerston. (Russell had previously been Prime Minister himself from 1846 to 1852.) During his tenure, the United States fought the War of Secession, and he was directed by Lord Palmerston to offer to mediate between the US and the newly-recognized Confederate States. US President Abraham Lincoln reluctantly accepted his offer, ending the war and creating the Confederate States. Throughout the remainder of his tenure, Russell saw to it that the CS remained a close ally of Britain's.