Charles Lewis Mitchell (November 10, 1829 – April 13, 1912) was a printer, officer in the Union Army during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

, and state legislator in

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...

. Along with Edward G. Walker, Mitchell was one of the first two African Americans to serve in the

Massachusetts General Court The Massachusetts General Court (formally styled the General Court of Massachusetts) is the State legislature (United States), state legislature of the Massachusetts, Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The name "General Court" is a hold-over from th ...

Early life

Mitchell was born in Hartford, Connecticut. In 1853 he began work as a printer for

William Lloyd Garrison William Lloyd Garrison (December , 1805 – May 24, 1879) was a prominent American Christian, abolitionist, journalist, suffragist, and social reformer. He is best known for his widely read antislavery newspaper '' The Liberator'', which he foun ...

's abolitionist newspaper, '' The Liberator''. During the

he served in the 55th Massachusetts Colored Volunteer Infantry and was wounded at the

Battle of Honey Hill The Battle of Honey Hill was the third battle of Sherman's March to the Sea, fought November 30, 1864, during the American Civil War. It did not involve Major General William T. Sherman's main force, marching from Atlanta to Savannah, Georgia, ...

in South Carolina, resulting in the loss of one foot. For his courage in action at Honey Hill, Mitchell was promoted to second lieutenant. After the war, Mitchell married Nellie Brown, a noted popular singer in Boston.

Political career

In 1866, Mitchell was elected to the

Massachusetts House of Representatives The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from 14 counties each divided into single-member ...

as a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

, representing the sixth ward of

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

. Taking his seat in January 1867, he and Edward G. Walker became the first African Americans to hold legislative offices in Massachusetts. During his one term in the House, Mitchell served on the House Standing Committee on Printing. In 1869, he was appointed as an inspector in the U.S. customs office in Boston, and subsequently promoted to clerk. Mitchell served in the customs office for forty years until his retirement in 1909. At William Lloyd Garrison's funeral in Boston, in May 1879, Mitchell was one of eight pallbearers, along with

Wendell Phillips Wendell Phillips (November 29, 1811 – February 2, 1884) was an American abolitionist, advocate for Native Americans, orator, and attorney. According to George Lewis Ruffin, a Black attorney, Phillips was seen by many Blacks as "the one whi ...

and

Lewis Hayden Lewis Hayden (December 2, 1811 – April 7, 1889) escaped slavery in Kentucky with his family and escaped to Canada. He established a school for African Americans before moving to Boston, Massachusetts to aid in the abolition movement. There h ...

. Nellie Brown Mitchell also sang at the funeral, as part of a quartet of African American singers.''Tributes to William Lloyd Garrison at the Funeral Services, May 28, 1879'' (Boston: Houghton, Osgood and Company 1879), pp. 8, 15. In 1897, at the unveiling of

Augustus Saint-Gaudens Augustus Saint-Gaudens (; March 1, 1848 – August 3, 1907) was an American sculptor of the Beaux-Arts generation who embodied the ideals of the American Renaissance. From a French-Irish family, Saint-Gaudens was raised in New York City, he trav ...

's celebrated memorial to

Robert Gould Shaw Robert Gould Shaw (October 10, 1837 – July 18, 1863) was an American officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Born into a prominent Boston abolitionist family, he accepted command of the first all-black regiment (the 54th Mas ...

and the

54th Massachusetts Infantry The 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that saw extensive service in the Union Army during the American Civil War. The unit was the second African-American regiment, following the 1st Kansas Colored Volunteer Infan ...

, Mitchell was formally in attendance along with his former commanding officer in the 55th Massachusetts,

Norwood Penrose Hallowell Norwood Penrose "Pen" Hallowell (April 13, 1839 – April 11, 1914) was an officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War. One of three brothers to serve with distinction during the war, he and his brother Edward Needles Hallowell bot ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mitchell, Charles Lewis 1829 births 1912 deaths African-American abolitionists African Americans in the American Civil War Union Army officers Republican Party members of the Massachusetts House of Representatives Politicians from Boston African-American state legislators in Massachusetts African-American politicians during the Reconstruction Era Military personnel from Massachusetts

Early life

Political career

See also

References