William B. Mitchell

William Mitchell (November 19, 1832 – August 21, 1900) was a lawyer and judge notable for his work in Minnesota as a member of the 3rd Minnesota District Court and Minnesota Supreme Court. He was also the first dean of the St. Paul College of Law, later renamed in his honor as the William Mitchell College of Law.

Early life

Mitchell was born in Stamford, Ontario in 1832. His parents John Mitchell and Mary Henderson were both Scottish immigrants. He attended Jefferson College in Pennsylvania and while there he befriended Eugene McLanahan Wilson. After graduating in 1853, he became a school teacher in Morgantown, West Virginia and began to read law under his friend's father Edgar C. Wilson. He was admitted to the bar in 1857.

Mitchell relocated to Winona, Minnesota with Eugene McLanahan Wilson shortly after passing the bar. He began to practice law there and partnered at various points with Wilson, Daniel Sheldon Norton, William H. Yale, Thomas Wilson and William Windom. In 1859 he was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives for one term. He also served one term as attorney for Winona County, Minnesota. He is buried at Woodlawn Cemetery in Winona, Minnesota.

Legacy In his eighteen years on the court, Mitchell wrote more than 1,500 opinions touching on all areas of Minnesota state law.