George A. Mitchell

George A. Mitchell (January 8, 1824 – August 5, 1878) was an American businessman, merchant, railwayman, lumber baron, and real estate developer. In the 1870s he bought of land in Michigan, divided and sold it in lots, and established the village of Clam Lake. The village's name later changed to Cadillac, with Mitchell as its founder becoming its first mayor.

Early life

Mitchell was born January 8, 1824, in Root, New York. He was the youngest member of a family of twelve children.

In 1861, at the beginning of the American Civil War, the army made Mitchell a paymaster based in St. Louis, Missouri. He developed his accounting and business skills and was promoted to lieutenant colonel. There was a post office established there in January 1872 that started the town. He was successful in enticing entrepreneurs to start businesses that opened later in 1872.

In 1876, Mitchell moved his family from Kendallville to his new village in Michigan. There were about 650 people and 350 school-age children in Clam Lake township as reported by the 1880 census. The city of Cadillac, incorporated in 1877,

Death

Mitchell was thrown from a horse and buggy on August 5, 1878, and fatally injured by falling onto a tree stump not yet cleared from the street. He died at his home in Cadillac on August 8, 1878.