Educated at Harvard and Boston University Law School , Russell practiced law in the family firm . He was politically a conservative Democrat , supporting the presidential campaigns of Grover Cleveland and the gold standard for the national currency . He gave a speech in favor of the latter at the 1896 Democratic National Convention immediately prior to William Jennings Bryan 's Cross of Gold speech , and refused efforts to draft him as an opponent to Bryan for the Presidential nomination . About a week later , he died quite suddenly at a fishing camp in Quebec ; he was 39 . He was viewed by eastern Democrats as a future party leader and presidential contender
1896 Democratic National Convention
1896 Democratic National Convention
William E. Russell (politician)