John L. Mitchell

John Lendrum Mitchell (October 19, 1842 – June 29, 1904) was an American politician and a Democratic Congressman, U.S. Senator from Wisconsin, and a member of the Wisconsin State Senate.

John L. Mitchell
United States senator from Wisconsin
In office March 4, 1893 – March 3, 1899
Preceded by	Philetus Sawyer
Succeeded by	Joseph V. Quarles
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Wisconsin's 4th district
In office March 4, 1891 – March 3, 1893
Preceded by	Isaac W. Van Schaick
Succeeded by	Peter J. Somers
Member of the Wisconsin Senate
In office 1872–1873 1875–1876
Personal details
Born	John Lendrum Mitchell (1842-10-19)October 19, 1842 Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Died	June 29, 1904(1904-06-29) (aged 61) Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Nationality	American
Political party	Democratic
Relations	son of Alexander Mitchell
Children	General Billy Mitchell Ruth Mitchell

Life and career

He was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the son of Martha (Reed) and Alexander Mitchell, a wealthy banking magnate and politician, who was born in Scotland.[1][2] During the American Civil War he served as a 1st lieutenant in the 24th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment. After the war, he became a member of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States. Another officer in the regiment was Medal of Honor recipient Arthur MacArthur Jr.. By coincidence, MacArthur's son Douglas MacArthur would serve as a juror at the court-martial in 1925 of Mitchell's son Billy Mitchell.

He was elected as a Democrat to the Fifty-second and Fifty-third Congresses as the representative of Wisconsin's 4th congressional district, a position his father held as well. He served as a U.S. Representative in Congress for one term from March 4, 1891 until he resigned on March 3, 1893 because he was elected to the United States Senate. He never took office or served in the Fifty-third Congress as a U.S. Representative. He served as a senator from March 4, 1893, to March 3, 1899.

He is buried at the Mitchell family plot in Forest Home Cemetery.

His papers, along with those of his father, are in the archives of the Wisconsin Historical Society.[3]

He was the original donor of land to form Mitchell Park, which is named in his honor.[4]

Family

His oldest son was General Billy Mitchell, who is regarded as the father of the U.S. Air Force. His second son, John Mitchell, was also an early American aviator who died in his fighter plane in 1917 in France. His daughter, Ruth Mitchell, was an author and gained some fame as a volunteer fighting the Germans with Yugoslav Chetniks in World War II.[5]

Notes

1. "404 Error: File Not Found". Archived from the original on November 5, 2012.
3. "UW-Madison Libraries". Archived from the original on 2012-07-01. Retrieved 2012-03-07.
4. "Mitchell Park". milwaukee.gov.
5. "The Milwaukee Journal - Google News Archive Search". The Milwaukee Journal. October 27, 1969.

External links

• United States Congress. "John L. Mitchell (id: M000821)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.

U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Isaac W. Van Schaick	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Wisconsin's 4th congressional district March 4, 1891 – March 3, 1893	Succeeded by Peter J. Somers
U.S. Senate
Preceded by Philetus Sawyer	U.S. senator (Class 1) from Wisconsin 1893–1899 Served alongside: William F. Vilas, John C. Spooner	Succeeded by Joseph V. Quarles