William Mitchell (congressman)

William Mitchell (January 19, 1807 – September 11, 1865) was a United States Representative from Indiana.

Biography[]

He was born in Root, New York where he attended the public schools. Later, he studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1836. He moved to Kendallville, Indiana, and was one of its founding fathers. He had a role in the founding of the Grand Rapids and Indiana Railroad. It provided a means of opening up northern Michigan for development of towns and cities.^[1]

Mitchell commenced the practice of law in Kendallville and was appointed its first postmaster on December 7, 1836, and served until a successor was appointed on March 7, 1846. He was a member of the Indiana House of Representatives in 1841 and a justice of the peace. He was elected as a Republican to the Thirty-seventh Congress (March 4, 1861 – March 3, 1863) but was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1862 to the Thirty-eighth Congress. After leaving Congress, he engaged in the cotton business. He died in Macon, Georgia in 1865 and was buried in Lake View Cemetery, Kendallville, Indiana.

New York State Senator Thomas B. Mitchell (died 1876) was his brother. He also had another brother George A. Mitchell, the father of Cadillac, Michigan.

References[]

Sources[]

• United States Congress. "William Mitchell (id: M000830)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.