Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography/Errett, Russell

ERRETT, Russell, b. in New York city, 10 Nov., 1817; d. in Pittsburg, Pa., 7 April, 1891. In 1829 he adopted journalism as a profession. He was repeatedly elected to the Pennsylvania legislature. In 1861 he was appointed paymaster in the U. S. army, and served in that office till the close of the civil war. He was a state senator in 1867, assessor of internal revenue in 1869-73, and clerk of the state senate in 1860-'1 and 1872-'6. He was elected a representative in congress in 1876 as a Republican, and served in 1877-'83. — His brother, Isaac, clergyman, b. in New York city, 2 Jan., 1820; d. in Cincinnati, Ohio, 19 Dec., 1888. His parents were converts of Alexander Campbell, and he became a preacher of that denomination in 1840. He held pastorates in Pittsburg, Pa., New Lisbon, Warren, and North Bloomfield, Ohio, Detroit, Muir, and Ionia, Mich., and in Chicago. He was associated with Alexander Campbell in the “Millennial Harbinger,” and in 1866 he began the publication of “The Christian Standard” in Cleveland. He was elected president of Alliance college in 1868, but soon resigned, and established himself in Cincinnati, where he continued the publication of the “Christian Standard,” now the foremost weekly periodical of his church. He received the degree of LL. D. from Butler university in 1886, was corresponding secretary of the Ohio Christian missionary society from 1853 till 1856, and president from 1867 till 1870. He was also corresponding secretary of the General Christian missionary society from 1857 till 1860, and president from 1874 till 1876, and president of the foreign society from 1875 till 1886. Dr. Errett's books include “Debate on Spiritualism with Joel Tiffany” (1855); “A Brief View of Missions” (1857); “Walks about Jerusalem” (1871); “Talks to Bereans” (1872); “Letters to Young Christians” (1875); “Review of a Tract by Dr. Thomas O. Summers, entitled ‘Why I am not a Campbellite’ ”; “Evenings with the Bible” (2 vols., 1884 and 1887); and numerous pamphlets.