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Alexander Mitchell (politician)
Encyclopedia
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
-born banker, railroad financier
Financier
Financier is a term for a person who handles typically large sums of money, usually involving money lending, financing projects, large-scale investing, or large-scale money management. The term is French, and derives from finance or payment...
and Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
politician in Milwaukee.
He was born in Ellon
Ellon, Aberdeenshire
Ellon 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 Scotland. It is in the ancient region of Formartine...
, Aberdeenshire
Aberdeenshire
Aberdeenshire is one of the 32 unitary council areas in Scotland and a lieutenancy area.The present day Aberdeenshire council area does not include the City of Aberdeen, now a separate council area, from which its name derives. Together, the modern council area and the city formed historic...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, and immigrated to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1839. He pursued a career in banking in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
, founded the Marine Bank of Wisconsin, and served as president of the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway from 1864-1887. With fellow director Jeremiah Milbank
Jeremiah Milbank
Jeremiah Milbank 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 York Condensed Milk Company which he co-founded with inventor Gail Borden and the...
(1818–1884) he built the Milwaukee Road into one of the most profitable railroads in the United States. He was considered the wealthiest person in Wisconsin for his generation and owned a mansion across the street from the Milwaukee County Courthouse
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....
, which survives and is now the site of the Wisconsin Club.
Mitchell served in the Forty-second United States Congress and Forty-third United States Congress. He was nominated for Governor
Governor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
of Wisconsin in 1877, but he declined. Mitchell is buried at Forest Home Cemetery
Forest Home Cemetery
Forest Home Cemetery located in the Lincoln Village neighborhood of Milwaukee, Wisconsin is the final resting place of many of the city's famed beer barons, politicians and social elite...
in Milwaukee.
He was an avid curler, having helped found the Milwaukee Curling Club
Milwaukee Curling Club
The Milwaukee Curling Club, now based in Mequon, Wisconsin, is the longest continually operating curling club in the United States. It was founded in Milwaukee in 1845 by Scotch emigrants, including Alexander Mitchell ....
in the 1840s, and was shortly before his death elected the "patron" of the Grand National Curling Club
Grand National Curling Club
The Grand National Curling Club, also known as the GNCC, is the union of curling clubs in New England and the Mid-Atlantic of the United States. It was established in 1867...
.
Both Mitchell Park and the street Mitchell Boulevard were named in his honor, as was the city of Mitchell, South Dakota
Mitchell, South Dakota
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 14,558 people, 6,121 households, and 3,599 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,475.7 people per square mile . There were 6,555 housing units at an average density of 664.4 per square mile...
, incorporated in 1881.
He married Martha Reed, sister of the politian Harrison Reed. His son, John L. Mitchell
John L. Mitchell
John Lendrum Mitchell was an American politician and a Democratic Congressman, Senator from Wisconsin, and a member of the Wisconsin State Senate. He was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin....
, was a politician, and his grandson, Billy Mitchell, is regarded as the father of the U.S. Air Force.
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