Protestant supporter of Queen Elizabeth I of England.

Only son of the 1st earl, he took his seat in the House of Lords as Lord Russell in 1552. Russell was in sympathy with the Protestant reformers, whose opinions he shared, and was imprisoned during the earlier part of Mary's reign. He inherited the earldom in 1555 and left for the Continent, where he met foreign reformers and fought at the Battle of Saint Quentin (1557). When Elizabeth I ascended the throne (November 1558) Bedford became an active figure in public life. He was made a privy councillor, had some influence in the religious settlement, and was sent on diplomatic errands to Charles IX of France and Mary Stuart. He was governor of Berwick and warden of the east marches of Scotland (February 1564–October 1567), in which capacity he conducted various negotiations between Elizabeth and Mary. When the northern insurrection broke out in 1569, Bedford was sent into Wales, and he sat in judgment upon the Duke of Norfolk in 1572. He was president of the council of Wales in 1576 and, in 1581, was deputed to arrange a marriage between Elizabeth and the Duke of Anjou. Bedford was succeeded by his grandson Edward Russell, the 3rd earl.