Abstract

Bertrand Russell’s relationship with his third wife, Patricia Russell (nee Spence), remains largely unexplored, primarily due to the long-standing embargo on correspondence between Russell and Patricia contained in McMaster University’s Russell Archives that has only recently been lifted. This chapter focuses on letters written by Patricia from the time she became involved with Russell after being hired as the governess for Russell’s children in 1930 to the return of Russell and Patricia to England in 1944 following their six-year exile in the United States. This correspondence with Russell and a significant range of critical actors provides fresh insight into the dynamics of Patricia’s relationship with Russell and her prominent role in impacting his affairs. She clearly played a central role in Russell’s private sphere during this period. Furthermore, her role as a collaborator with Russell on projects such as The Amberley Papers and other political and philosophical research initiatives attests to her own intellectual capabilities. Finally, Patricia proved to be a stalwart defender of Russell during some of the most turbulent periods of his life, most notably in the whirlwind of controversy that engulfed Russell following the revocation of his appointment to the College of the City of New York in 1940. This study that centers Patricia Russell in the events of Russell’s life in this period provides Russell scholars with the opportunity to challenge and refine existing narratives of a particularly significant and understudied period in Russell’s career and personal experiences. Based on her own detailed primary source legacy, it also allows Patricia to emerge as a figure in British intellectual and cultural history worthy of independent attention in her own right.