John L. Mitchell

John Lendrum Mitchell (October 19, 1842 – June 29, 1904) was an American politician and philanthropist from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. A Democrat, he served one term each in the United States Senate (1893–1899) and House of Representatives (1891–1893). Earlier, he was a member of the Wisconsin State Senate and a Union Army officer in the American Civil War.

He was the son of powerful railroad owner and Milwaukee financier Alexander Mitchell and used his inheritance on significant works of philanthropy in Milwaukee—he is the namesake of the Mitchell Park Horticultural Conservatory.

His son, U.S. Army Major General William Lendrum "Billy" Mitchell, is considered the father of the United States Air Force, and the namesake of Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport.

Early life

He was born in Milwaukee in the Wisconsin Territory, the son of Martha (Reed) and Alexander Mitchell, a wealthy banking magnate, politician, and Scottish American immigrant. He graduated from the Hampton, Connecticut, military academy and studied in Europe, spending time in both Munich, Bavaria, and Geneva, Switzerland. He returned to the United States in 1860 as the Civil War loomed. Arriving at Louisville, Kentucky, on September 20, the 24th Wisconsin was attached to III Corps of the Army of the Ohio.

The regiment was quickly thrown into battle, confronting General Braxton Bragg and his Army of Mississippi, which had marched to the vicinity of Louisville as part of the Confederate offensive to seize control of Kentucky. During the first hours of fighting at the Battle of Stones River, however, General Sill was killed in action while directing a counterattack.

After the fighting, the Union army spent several months camped at Murfreesboro, transforming it into a major Union fortress and supply hub for the remainder of the war and securing the Union presence in Middle Tennessee. During this time, the 24th Wisconsin saw further resignations and promotions as the leadership was reshuffled.

While the Union Army of the Cumberland was reinforcing their position and reorganizing their force at Murfreesboro, the Confederate Army of Tennessee, under Bragg, was preparing a new defensive line along the Duck River and at strategic passes in the Highland Rim. That summer, the Army of the Cumberland was directed to engage Bragg as soon as possible to prevent him from sending additional forces to assist the Confederate defenders at the Siege of Vicksburg. Lieutenant Mitchell was with the army through the Battle of Hoover's Gap, after which Bragg abandoned Middle Tennessee and moved to defend Chattanooga. However, around this time the regiment surgeon diagnosed Lieutenant Mitchell as having a severe visual impairment. He was sent home to Wisconsin and discharged.

Political career

After returning from the war, Mitchell went to work as a farmer, clearing 480 acres of wilderness west of Milwaukee. After the death of his father in 1887, Mitchell took over several of the family interests and became much more prominent in state affairs; he also became well-respected in business for his shrewd management of the family assets. He became President of the Marine and Fire Insurance Company Bank—which his father had founded—and had a significant stake in the Northwestern National Insurance Company.

In 1890, Mitchell announced his intention to run for United States House of Representatives in Wisconsin's 4th congressional district. After a contentious caucus process, he reached the Wisconsin Democratic Party 4th district convention with strong support and was nominated on the first ballot, defeating Peter J. Somers and John Black. In the floor vote, Mitchell received 77 votes, John Coit Spooner received 46, and Edward S. Bragg received 1.

Mitchell was considered one of the best-educated members of the Senate at the time. And although he personally opposed the populist, inflationary free silver policies of the Democrats, he remained loyal to the party. In 1896, he was suggested as a candidate for Vice President of the United States at the Democratic National Convention, though his name was not formally placed in nomination.

Mitchell was a collector of paintings, including works by Jules Breton, Jehan Georges Vibert, and Adolf Schreyer. He was a patron of the Layton Art Gallery, Milwaukee College, and the Milwaukee Hospital. He was an active member of several veterans communities, including the Grand Army of the Republic, the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States, and the Society of the Army of the Cumberland. He contributed to the founding of the College of Agriculture at the University of Wisconsin and offered twenty scholarships for poor boys to attend the school.

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

Electoral history U.S. House of Representatives (1890, 1892)

United States Senate (1893)