Alexander Mitchell (October 17, 1817April 19, 1887) was a
Scottish-born
banker
A bank is a financial institution that accepts Deposit account, deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital m ...
,
railroad
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...
financier
An investor is a person who allocates financial capital with the expectation of a future return (profit) or to gain an advantage (interest). Through this allocated capital most of the time the investor purchases some species of property. Type ...
and
Democratic politician in
Milwaukee
Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee is ...
.
Early life
Mitchell was born in
Ellon Ellon may refer to:
*Ellon, Aberdeenshire
Ellon ( gd, Eilean) is a town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, approximately north of Aberdeen, lying on the River Ythan, which has one of the few undeveloped river estuaries on the eastern coast of Scotla ...
,
Aberdeenshire
Aberdeenshire ( sco, Aiberdeenshire; gd, Siorrachd Obar Dheathain) is one of the 32 Subdivisions of Scotland#council areas of Scotland, council areas of Scotland.
It takes its name from the County of Aberdeen which has substantially differe ...
,
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
, the son of Margaret (Lendrum) and John Mitchell, in 1817 and immigrated to the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
in 1839. He pursued a career in banking in
Milwaukee
Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee is ...
, and founded the Marine Bank of Wisconsin.
Business career
Mitchell was president of the
Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway from 1864-1887. With fellow director
Jeremiah Milbank
Jeremiah Milbank (April 18, 1818 – June 1, 1884) American businessman, was a successful dry goods commission merchant, speculator in Texas territorial bonds, manufacturer, and railroad investor. His most successful business efforts were the New Y ...
(1818–1884) he built this railroad into one of the most profitable in the United States, and Mitchell was considered the wealthiest person in Wisconsin.
Political career
Mitchell represented
Wisconsin's 1st congressional district
Wisconsin's 1st congressional district is a congressional district of the United States House of Representatives in southeastern Wisconsin, covering Kenosha County, Racine County, and most of Walworth County, as well as portions of Rock Count ...
in the
Forty-second United States Congress
The 42nd United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1871, ...
. After redistricting he represented
Wisconsin's 4th congressional district
Wisconsin's 4th congressional district is a congressional district of the United States House of Representatives in Wisconsin, encompassing a part of Milwaukee County and including almost all of the city of Milwaukee (except the slivers of the c ...
in the
Forty-third United States Congress
The 43rd United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1873, ...
. He was nominated for
Governor
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
of Wisconsin in 1877, but he declined.
[
]
Curling enthusiast
He was an avid curler, and helped popularize the sport in the United States. Mitchell helped found the Milwaukee Curling Club
The Milwaukee Curling Club, now based in Cedarburg, Wisconsin, is the longest continually operating curling club in the United States. It was founded in Milwaukee in 1845 by Scots emigrants, including Alexander Mitchell (later elected "patron" of ...
in the 1840s, and shortly before his death was elected Patron of the Grand National Curling Club
The Grand National Curling Club (GNCC), founded in 1867, was the first National Curling Organization encompassing the entire United States. It remained the national organization until it created the United States Curling Association (USCA) in the ...
.
Death and burial
Mitchell died in New York City and was buried at Forest Home Cemetery
Forest Home Cemetery is a historic rural cemetery located in the Lincoln Village neighborhood of Milwaukee, Wisconsin and is the final resting place of many of the city's famed beer barons, politicians and social elite. Both the cemetery and ...
in Milwaukee.
Legacy
Mitchell owned a mansion across the street from the Milwaukee County Courthouse
The Milwaukee County Courthouse is a high-rise municipal building located in downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Completed in 1931, it is the third county courthouse built in the city and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The two ...
, which is now the site of the Wisconsin Club.
The Historic Mitchell Street neighborhood was named in his honor, as was the city of Mitchell, South Dakota
Mitchell is a city in and the county seat of Davison County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 15,660 at the 2020 census making it the sixth most populous city in South Dakota.
Mitchell is the principal city of the Mitchell Micr ...
, incorporated in 1881.
The Mackie Building
The Mackie Building is a grand commercial building designed by E. Townsend Mix and built in 1879 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, which housed Milwaukee's Grain Exchange Room, and ''the'' original trading pit. In 1973 the building was added to the Nation ...
, which was constructed by Mitchell as an investment property, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
. Additionally, the Mitchell Building
The Mitchell Building is an ornate five-story bank and insurance building designed by E. Townsend Mix in Second Empire style and built in 1876 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.
History
A ...
, which he also built, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as well.
His papers, along with those of his son John, are in the archives of the Wisconsin Historical Society
The Wisconsin Historical Society (officially the State Historical Society of Wisconsin) is simultaneously a state agency and a private membership organization whose purpose is to maintain, promote and spread knowledge relating to the history of N ...
.
Family
Mitchell was married to Martha Reed, sister of Harrison Reed, who served as Governor of Florida
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political r ...
during Reconstruction
Reconstruction may refer to:
Politics, history, and sociology
*Reconstruction (law), the transfer of a company's (or several companies') business to a new company
*'' Perestroika'' (Russian for "reconstruction"), a late 20th century Soviet Unio ...
. Mitchell's son, John L. Mitchell, was a Congressman
A Member of Congress (MOC) is a person who has been appointed or elected and inducted into an official body called a congress, typically to represent a particular constituency in a legislature. The term member of parliament (MP) is an equivalen ...
and United States Senator
The United States Senate is the Upper house, upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives being the Lower house, lower chamber. Together they compose the national Bica ...
, and his grandson, Billy Mitchell
William Lendrum Mitchell (December 29, 1879 – February 19, 1936) was a United States Army officer who is regarded as the father of the United States Air Force.
Mitchell served in France during World War I and, by the conflict's end, command ...
, was a United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...
officer prominent during the early days of military aviation.
The Villa Alexandria estate was located in the San Marco
San Marco is one of the six sestiere (Venice), sestieri of Venice, lying in the heart of the city as the main place of Venice. San Marco also includes the island of San Giorgio Maggiore. Although the district includes Piazza San Marco, Saint ...
neighborhood of Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the seat of Duval County, with which the ...
.
References
External links
Wisconsin Club
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mitchell, Alexander
1817 births
1887 deaths
People from Ellon, Aberdeenshire
Scottish emigrants to the United States
Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Wisconsin
19th-century American politicians
American male curlers
People from West Allis, Wisconsin
19th-century American railroad executives
Burials in Wisconsin