Israel Cook Russell was born on December 10, 1852, in Garrattsville, New York.

He was an American geologist, geographer, educator, and author. He studied at New York University (B.A.; C. E., 1872) and the Columbia School of Mines. In 1874, he was a photographer and naturalist to the U. S. Transit of Venus Expedition to New Zealand and Kerguelen Island. When he returned, he was made Assistant Professor of Geology at the Columbia School of Mines (1875-1877). In 1878, he became an assistant geologist on the U.S. geological and geographical survey west of the 100th meridian. In 1880, he became a member of the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and served as its geologist until 1892. In 1889, he went on an expedition to Alaska by the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey to establish a portion of Alaska's eastern boundary. Under the joint auspices of the USGS and the National Geographic Society, he explored the slopes of Mount Saint Elias and the Yakutat Bay area. In 1890, Russell made the first reported sighting of Mount Logan, the highest mountain in Canada, and gave the mountain its name. In 1892, he became a Professor of Geology at the University of Michigan and served as President of the Geological Society of America. He received an honorary degree of LL.D. from New York and Wisconsin Universities. He contributed numerous articles on geological subjects to various scientific periodicals and published scientific memoirs, issued as annual reports of the Geological Survey or as separate monographs.

In 1886, he married Julia Augusta Olmsted (1857–1905). He died on May 1, 1906, in Ann Arbor, Michigan.