# Russell Vick

Sir Godfrey Russell-Vick QC (24 December 1892 – 27 September 1958) was an English lawyer, judge and Liberal Party politician.

## Background

Born at Strathmore House, West Hartlepool, the youngest son of Richard William Vick JP and Emily née Oughtred, he was educated at the Leys School and Jesus College, Cambridge, and played rugby for Hartlepool Rovers.
He married Marjorie Hester Compston and the couple had two daughters and two sons, the younger of whom, Sir Arnold Russell-Vick, also became a barrister then a judge.

## Professional career

In August 1914 Russell-Vick was commissioned into the 11th Battalion of the Durham Light Infantry, serving during World War I in France and Flanders. He was called to the Bar at the Inner Temple in 1917, and practised successfully as a criminal lawyer on the North East circuit. He served both as Chairman of the Bar Council and variously as Recorder of Richmond (1930-1931), Halifax (1931-1939) and Newcastle-upon-Tyne (1939-1956). Sworn as King's Counsel in 1935, he was then appointed a County Court Judge, becoming a Bencher of the Inner Temple, and knighted in 1950.
Russell-Vick's service on public enquiries included:
* London County Council remand homes (1944);
* The black market in petrol (1948);
* Lynskey tribunal into political corruption (1948);
* Ill-treatment of prisoners at HM Prison Liverpool (1958).

## Political career

He contested the constituency of Bishop Auckland at the 1918 General Election for the Coalition Liberals and finished second.
In 1919 Russell-Vick contested the constituency of Shoreditch in the 1919 London County Council election. He ran for the Liberal-backed Progressive Party and narrowly missed out on election.
He contested the constituency of the Hartlepools at the 1945 General Election for the Liberal Party coming third.

### Electoral record

General Election 1918: Bishop Auckland :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Labour | Benjamin Charles Spoor | 10,060 |
| | National Liberal | Godfrey Russell-Vick | 7,417 |
| | Liberal | Dr Henzell Rutherford | 2,411 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing |
London County Council election, 1919: Shoreditch :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Progressive | YHenry Ward | 1,701 | |
| | Labour | Y Charles Taylor | 1,464 | 35.3 |
| | Progressive | Godfrey Russell-Vick | 1,454 | |
| | Municipal Reform | Major William Weber | 1,116 | |
| | Municipal Reform | Rosamund Smith | 1,110 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | | |
| | Progressive hold | Progressive hold | Swing | |
| | Labour gain from Progressive | Labour gain from Progressive | Swing | |
General Election 1945: The Hartlepools :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | David Thomas Jones | 16,502 | 41.2 | n/a |
| | Conservative | Thomas George Greenwell | 16,227 | 40.5 | −23.6 |
| | Liberal | Godfrey Russell-Vick | 6,903 | 17.3 | n/a |
| | Independent | Harry Lane | 390 | 1.0 | n/a |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 275 | 0.7 | −46.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 76.1 | +36.6 |
| | Labour gain from Conservative | Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | n/a | |