William Mitchell KC (1872-22 February 1937) was a Scottish advocate and

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

politician. He was

Sheriff-substitute In the Courts of Scotland, a sheriff-substitute was the historical name for the judges who sit in the local sheriff courts under the direction of the sheriffs principal; from 1971 the sheriffs substitute were renamed simply as sheriff. When res ...

Selkirkshire Selkirkshire or the County of Selkirk ( gd, Siorrachd Shalcraig) is a historic county and registration county of Scotland. It borders Peeblesshire to the west, Midlothian to the north, Roxburghshire to the east, and Dumfriesshire to the south. ...

Background

Mitchell was born in

Keith, Banffshire Keith (Scottish Gaelic: ''Baile Chèith'', or ''Cèith Mhaol Rubha'' (archaic)) is a small town in the Moray council area in north east Scotland. It has a population of 4,734. Keith is historically in Banffshire, a name which persists in com ...

, the son of George and Kathryn Mitchell. He was educated at

Keith Grammar School Keith Grammar School is a secondary school in, Moray, Scotland. It was built in 1965 by the Educational Committee of Banffshire County Council. the school roll was 450 pupils. It is administered by the Moray Council Education and Social Care Depa ...

and the Universities of

Aberdeen Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...

, where he gained an MA and

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...

where he received an LLB. He was a Vans Dunlop Scholar in Scots Law and Conveyancing.‘MITCHELL, William’, Who Was Who, A & C Black, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc, 1920–2016; online edn, Oxford University Press, 2014 ; online edn, April 201
accessed 17 Feb 2016
/ref> He died at

Galashiels Galashiels (; sco, Gallae, gd, An Geal Àth) is a town in the Scottish Borders with a population of around 12,600. Its name is often colloquially shortened to "Gala". The town is a major commercial centre for the Borders region with extensive ...

on 22 February 1937.

Professional career

Mitchell was Examiner for degrees in legal subjects at Aberdeen and Edinburgh Universities. In 1897 he was called to Scots bar. He was Advocate Depute for several years. He was Sheriff-Substitute of Selkirkshire from 1930 until his death in 1937. In 1930 he wrote 'Prince Charles Edward Stewart of Scotland and the Rising of 1745'.

Political career

Mitchell was

National Liberal National liberalism is a variant of liberalism, combining liberal policies and issues with elements of nationalism. Historically, national liberalism has also been used in the same meaning as conservative liberalism (right-liberalism). A seri ...

candidate for the Kincardine and Western Aberdeenshire division at the 1922 General Election. He was a supporter of

David Lloyd George David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor, (17 January 1863 – 26 March 1945) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1916 to 1922. He was a Liberal Party politician from Wales, known for leading the United Kingdom during ...

, Prime Minister of the Coalition Government. He ran against the sitting Liberal MP, who was an opposition Liberal, but failed to unseat him. In 1923 the two opposing Liberal factions re-united under the leadership of

H. H. Asquith Herbert Henry Asquith, 1st Earl of Oxford and Asquith, (12 September 1852 – 15 February 1928), generally known as H. H. Asquith, was a British statesman and Liberal Party politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom f ...

. Mitchell was Liberal candidate for the Peebles and Southern Midlothian division at the 1923 General Election. This was a Labour seat that the Liberals had lost in 1922, coming third. He was unable to improve on that position. Soon after, he was Liberal candidate for the Peebles and Southern Midlothian division at the 1924 General Election. Despite this election being a difficult one for the Liberal Party, he was able to marginally increase the Liberal vote. He was Liberal candidate for the Edinburgh North division at the 1929 General Election. Lloyd George travelled to Edinburgh to help Mitchell's campaign, stopping at Mitchell's home in King Street. The Liberals had won the seat in 1923 but finished third in 1924. Despite increasing the Liberal vote share, he was unable to improve on third place. He did not stand for parliament again.British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, FWS Craig

Electoral record

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mitchell, William 1937 deaths 1872 births Liberal Party (UK) parliamentary candidates Alumni of the University of Aberdeen Alumni of the University of Edinburgh People from Banffshire Scottish barristers Scottish King's Counsel National Liberal Party (UK, 1922) politicians