James Russell

James or Jim Russell may refer to:

Academics and scientists

Artists and authors

Lawyers and judges

Jim Russell (baseball)

James William Russell (October 1, 1918 – November 24, 1987) was an outfielder in Major League Baseball for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Boston Braves and Brooklyn Dodgers. He played in the majors from 1942 to 1951.

Background

Russell was born in Fayette City, Pennsylvania, on October 1, 1918, the son of James Walch "Doc" Russell and Lillian Johnson. Russell never finished high school, but instead went out to work mines to bolster his family's financial situation. Jim played baseball with rocks (for balls) and tree limbs (for bats) in alleyways when he was a youngster. As a youth, he contracted rheumatic fever twice; his baseball career would be severed short because of his rheumatic heart disease.

Baseball career

Russell had a batting average of .267 and was a switch hitter. After beginning his minor league career in 1937, his contract was bought by the Pittsburgh Pirates in September 1942. In 1944, Russell led the Pirates in hitting with a .312 batting average and 181 total hits, and hit the first pinch-hit home run in Pirates history on August 20.

Jim Russell (cartoonist)

James Newton "Jim" Russell AM MBE (26 March 1909 – 15 August 2001) was an Australian cartoonist who drew The Potts for 62 years. Jim's brother Dan Russell was also a cartoonist.

Biography

Russell was born in Campsie, New South Wales, the son of William John "Billy" Russell, a foreman plumber with the Sydney City Council, the president of the New South Wales Plumbers' Union, the national secretary of the Australian Plumbers and Gasfitters Employees Union, and unsuccessful labour candidate for the seats of Parkes and Canterbury, who was killed in a workplace accident in 1915. His mother Catherine Elizabeth (née Diggs), remarried in 1926 and was one of the first two woman members of an Australian Upper House of Parliament. Russell was educated at Tempe Technical School and Christian Brothers' High School, Lewisham In 1924 at age 14 he began work as a copy boy on the Daily Guardian before transferring later that year to Smith's Weekly's working as an art room messenger boy to Stan Cross. Russell also studied at Julian Ashton's Sydney Art School, for six years, while working at various jobs, including a box office attendant at the Sydney Stadium. This led to a brief boxing career, which included winning all five bouts as a welterweight at the Sydney Stadium. During this time he improved his drawing, with sketches he made of notable boxers being published in various Sydney papers. In 1926 the head artist of Fox Films offered to tutor Russell in the basics of art, for which he paid £100 and worked unpaid there for two years.