ALBANY -

James Merriman Russell of Albany, New York, passed away on March 12, 2026, at the age of 84.

Born on April 16, 1941, in New Rochelle, New York, he was the son of William Edwards Russell and Helen Marie Merriman Russell and grew up in Pelham, New York.

Jim was a member of Russell and Russell, the family law firm established by his grandfather, William E. Russell, in 1913. Over the course of his career, he practiced with his grandfather, his father, and his brother, continuing a proud multigenerational legal tradition.

He attended Williams College for his undergraduate education, earned his Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School, and later received a master's degree in taxation from New York University. Admitted to the bar in 1966, he built a distinguished career in trusts and estates, taxation, and investment-related work, and remained active in the legal profession through organizations including the Association of the Bar of the City of New York and the Young Lawyers Committee. Jim was intellectually gifted, a quality evident to everyone who met him.

He was also a knowledgeable history buff, with a particular love of Civil War history.

He is survived by his son, William Russell; his stepchildren, Ann Russell and Andres Alberdi; his children, Michael, Elizabeth, and Stephen; and several grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

His cremains will be buried in the Russell family plot in Valhalla, NY in Westchester County. Contributions may be made to Alzheimer's research.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared with the family, online at: SimpleChoicesCremation.com