Russell Marshall facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Honourable Russell Marshall CNZM
Marshall, c. 1987
23rd High Commissioner from New Zealand to the United Kingdom
In office 4 January 2002 – 4 January 2005
Prime Minister	Helen Clark
Preceded by	Paul East
Succeeded by	Jonathan Hunt
21st Minister of Foreign Affairs
In office 24 August 1987 – 9 February 1990
Prime Minister	David Lange Geoffrey Palmer
Preceded by	David Lange
Succeeded by	Mike Moore
1st Minister of Disarmament and Arms Control
In office 8 June 1987 – 24 August 1989
Prime Minister	David Lange
Preceded by	Office Established
Succeeded by	Fran Wilde
1st Minister of Conservation
In office 1 April 1987 – 24 August 1987
Prime Minister	David Lange
Preceded by	Office Established
Succeeded by	Helen Clark
34th Minister of Education
In office 26 July 1984 – 24 August 1987
Prime Minister	David Lange
Preceded by	Merv Wellington
Succeeded by	David Lange
6th Minister for the Environment
In office 26 July 1984 – 17 February 1986
Prime Minister	David Lange
Preceded by	David Thomson
Succeeded by	Phil Goff
Member of the New Zealand Parliament for Wanganui
In office 25 November 1972 – 27 October 1990
Preceded by	Bill Tolhurst
Succeeded by	Cam Campion
Personal details
Born	(1936-02-15)15 February 1936 Nelson, New Zealand
Died	18 January 2025(2025-01-18) (aged 88)
Political party	Labour
Spouse	Barbara May Watson ​ (m. 1961)​
Relations	Kerry Marshall (brother)
Children	3

Cedric Russell Marshall (born February 15, 1936, died January 18, 2025) was an important New Zealand politician and diplomat. He was a member of the Labour Party.

Biography

Early Life and Career

Russell Marshall was born in Nelson in 1936. His father, Cedric Marshall, was involved in the Labour Party in Nelson. Russell is the older brother of Kerry Marshall, who was a mayor for both Nelson and Tasman District.

Russell went to Nelson College from 1949 to 1952. He trained to be a primary school teacher. He taught in the Nelson area and later at Wanganui High School. From 1960 to 1972, he worked as a Methodist minister.

The "Red Reverend"

During his time as a minister, Russell Marshall became known as the "Red Reverend." This was because he led protests against the Vietnam War in the 1960s. Later, when he became a politician, Prime Minister Robert Muldoon often used this nickname when they debated.

Member of Parliament

Russell Marshall represented the Wanganui area in Parliament. He was an MP from 1972 until 1990, when he decided to retire. In his first term, he worked on the education committee. He supported changes to education led by Phil Amos, who was the Minister of Education.

After the Labour government lost the election in 1975, Marshall became the Shadow Minister of Education. This was a big step up for him. He also served as the Senior Opposition Whip from 1978 to 1980. In 1983, he tried to become the leader of the Labour Party but was beaten by David Lange.

Cabinet Minister Roles

From 1984 to 1990, Marshall was a Cabinet Minister in the Fourth Labour Government. He held several important roles:

• Minister of Education
• Minister for the Environment
• Minister of Conservation
• Minister of Disarmament and Arms Control

As Minister for the Environment, he helped create the new Department of Conservation. He also set up the Ministry for the Environment. As Minister of Education, he worked on changes to the public education system. He aimed to hire 2,500 new teachers to make class sizes smaller.

Marshall had planned to retire in 1987. However, David Lange asked him to stay on, so he ran again. He kept the Disarmament and Arms Control role. He also became the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of Pacific Island Affairs.

He was the Foreign Affairs Minister during the Fijian coup in 1987. He helped lead New Zealand's response. He worked with the Australian government to put rules on Fiji because of the coup and how it treated the Indo-Fijian people.

After Parliament

After leaving Parliament, Russell Marshall continued to work in public service. He chaired the New Zealand National Commission for UNESCO from 1990 to 1999. He also represented New Zealand on the UNESCO Executive Board.

He was part of groups that observed elections in other countries. These included Lesotho in 1993, the Seychelles later that year, and South Africa in 1994. From 1994 to 2002, he chaired an international education group called PINZ.

From 2002 to 2005, he was the High Commissioner to the United Kingdom. This meant he was New Zealand's top diplomat there. He also served as Ambassador to Ireland.

He finished his university degree at Victoria University of Wellington in 1993. He later became the Chancellor of Victoria University from 2000 to 2002. He also chaired the Tertiary Education Commission from 2005 to 2007.

Local Politics

Marshall ran for the Porirua City Council in 1992 but was not elected. In 2010, he ran for Mayor of Porirua but did not win.

Honours

Russell Marshall received several awards for his public service. He was given the Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal in 1977. He also received the New Zealand 1990 Commemoration Medal in 1990.

In 2001, he was made a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit. This was to recognise his important public services. In 1989, he received an honorary doctorate from a university in Thailand.

Personal Life and Death

Russell Marshall married Barbara May Watson in 1961. They had three children together. His brother, Kerry Marshall, married Barbara's sister, Colleen Watson.

Russell Marshall passed away on January 18, 2025, at the age of 88.