Donald J. Mitchell
Encyclopedia
Donald Jerome Mitchell served as a Republican
member of the United States House of Representatives
from New York
, 1973-1983.
with ancesteral family roots tracing back to the American Revolution, as well as Mohawk Indian blood on his father's side, was born in Ilion, New York
, in 1923. He was the oldest child of Donald G. Mitchell and Winnifred Packard Mitchell of Herkimer, New York. He attended the Herkimer Public School System, graduating from Herkimer High School
in 1940.
After returning home following his military service during World War II
, in 1945 he married Margaretta "Gretta" Wilson LeVee, the daughter of E. Allen LeVee and Margaret Tinker LeVee, of Little Falls, New York
.
Married for over 57 years at the time of the Congressman's death in 2003, the Mitchell's had three children—Gretchen, Cynthia, and Allen.
, Mitchell served as a carrier-based fighter pilot in the United States Navy
from 1942 until 1945. Following the war, he completed a bachelor's degree in Optometry at Hobart College
in 1949, and went on to earn a master's degree from Columbia University
in 1950. In the early 1950s, he founded an optometry practice in Herkimer, New York
.
An avid pilot in private life, Dr. Mitchell re-enlisted in the Navy in 1951, and served as a Naval Flight Instructor
in Pensacola, Florida
, from 1951–1953, during the Korean War
.
(1965–1972) and served in the Republican leadership as the Assembly Majority Whip from 1969 until 1972.
In 1972, he was elected to the United States Congress
where he represented what is now New York's 31st Congressional District
. After being successfully re-elected to a second term by a wide margin in 1974, he then ran unopposed to for three more terms, serving altogether for 10 years from January 3, 1973 until January 3, 1983.
While in the United States Congress he served on the House Armed Services Committee, and was elected by his colleagues and served 4 years in the House Repbulican Leadership as Regional Whip for New England and the Mid-Atlantic States.
Among other accomplishments in Congress, he was responsible for establishing "Leatherstocking Country", a nine-county tourism district in Central New York state, and played a key role in establishing Fort Stanwix National Monument as a unit of the National Park System.
He and a coalition of other House members also started a campaign in the early 1970s to persuade the Defense Department to award more military contracts and employ more people in the Northeast, which was losing Defense funding and contracts to the South. And in 1974, Mitchell led another successful campaign to prevent the Air Force from cutting 1,500 jobs at the Rome Air Development Center at Griffiss Air Force Base in Rome, N.Y.
He was a founder of, and the first chairman of the Northeast/Midwest Coalition in the U.S. House of Representatives, and was a founding member of the Tourism Caucus in the House of Representatives.
Always well liked by his colleagues on both sides of the aisle, Congressman Mitchell has been described by a Capitol Hill legislative aide as, "without doubt the nicest, most decent Member of Congress I ever knew or worked with -- totally honest, of unquestionable integrity, always receptive to considering all points-of-view, with nothing beyond doing the very best possible for his Country at heart, and willing to work tirelessly for the betterment and continued welfare of his constituents in the Mohawk Valley in Upstate New York."
. There he resumed his optometry practice, he and his wife Gretta dividing their time between homes in the Mohawk Valley
and in Cedar Key, Florida
.
Following his retirement, Congressman Mitchell received a number of tributes of various sorts. Among these was the naming of the Veterans Administration
hospital clinic at Griffiss Air Force Base
near Rome, New York, after him—which was formally designated in a bill signed into law by President Clinton to be known as the "Donald J. Mitchell VA Outpatient Clinic". The facility provides primary care and other health care services for veterans in the greater Utica-Rome-Syracuse area in Central New York State.
Also, a highway bridge over West Canada Creek
in the Mohawk Valley near the Village of Herkimer was officially designated the "Donald J. Mitchell Bridge" in his honor.
Former Congressman Mitchell died on September 27, 2003, of complications associated with his lengthy battle late in life with Parkinson's disease
. Upon his passing, the Utica Observer-Dispatch newspaper noted: "If anyone can be heralded for having led an exemplary life, its former U.S. Congressman Donald J. Mitchell. . . Mitchell managed to balance a vigorous commitment to community and country without ever forsaking family and friends -- and he left a legacy of pride along a path that took him from the Mohawk Valley to the Nation's Capital and back again."
Following memorial services attended by, among many others, various former colleagues from the U.S. Congress and the New York State Assembly, his casket, escorted by both active duty and American Legion veterans color guard
s, and borne by uniform personnel representing each branch of the U.S. Military Services, was interred with full military honors at the hillside Oak Hill Cemetery overlooking a tributary of the Mohawk River
in his hometown of Herkimer.
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
member of the United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
from New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, 1973-1983.
Early life
Donald J. "Don" Mitchell, a native of Upstate New York's Mohawk ValleyMohawk Valley
The Mohawk Valley region of the U.S. state of New York is the area surrounding the Mohawk River, sandwiched between the Adirondack Mountains and Catskill Mountains....
with ancesteral family roots tracing back to the American Revolution, as well as Mohawk Indian blood on his father's side, was born in Ilion, New York
Ilion, New York
Ilion is a village in Herkimer County, New York, United States. The population was 8,610 at the 2000 census. Ilion is a name for the ancient city of Troy.The Village of Ilion is at the north town line of the Town of German Flatts...
, in 1923. He was the oldest child of Donald G. Mitchell and Winnifred Packard Mitchell of Herkimer, New York. He attended the Herkimer Public School System, graduating from Herkimer High School
Herkimer High School
Herkimer High School is a Junior/ Senior High School in the village of Herkimer, New York. It is in the jurisdiction of the Herkimer Central School District. It currently enrolls nearly 700 students and is the only high school in the village of Herkimer. Herkimer High School was founded in 1899....
in 1940.
After returning home following his military service during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, in 1945 he married Margaretta "Gretta" Wilson LeVee, the daughter of E. Allen LeVee and Margaret Tinker LeVee, of Little Falls, New York
Little Falls (city), New York
Little Falls is a city in Herkimer County, New York, USA. The population was 5,188 at the 2000 census. The name is derived from a small cataract near the city....
.
Married for over 57 years at the time of the Congressman's death in 2003, the Mitchell's had three children—Gretchen, Cynthia, and Allen.
Military Service
During World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Mitchell served as a carrier-based fighter pilot in the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
from 1942 until 1945. Following the war, he completed a bachelor's degree in Optometry at Hobart College
Hobart and William Smith Colleges
Hobart and William Smith Colleges, located in Geneva, New York, are together a liberal arts college offering Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science and Master of Arts in Teaching degrees. In athletics, however, the two schools compete with separate teams, known as the Hobart Statesmen and the...
in 1949, and went on to earn a master's degree from Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
in 1950. In the early 1950s, he founded an optometry practice in Herkimer, New York
Herkimer (village), New York
Herkimer is a village in Herkimer County, New York, United States, about southeast of Utica. As of the 2000 census, it had a population of 7,498 people. The village is named after the Herkimers, Palatine German immigrants who settled in this area in 1723...
.
An avid pilot in private life, Dr. Mitchell re-enlisted in the Navy in 1951, and served as a Naval Flight Instructor
Naval Flight Officer
A Naval Flight Officer is an aeronautically designated commissioned officer in the United States Navy or United States Marine Corps that specializes in airborne weapons and sensor systems. NFOs are not pilots per se, but they may perform many "co-pilot" functions, depending on the type of aircraft...
in Pensacola, Florida
Pensacola, Florida
Pensacola is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle and the county seat of Escambia County, Florida, United States of America. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 56,255 and as of 2009, the estimated population was 53,752...
, from 1951–1953, during the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
.
Life after the Military, Professionsl Career, Civic Service
After his second tour of duty with the Navy, Mitchell resumed his optometry practice in Herkimer, NY, where he was elected to the City Council (1954–1957) and served as Mayor (1957–1960), and was active in numerous civic and charitable organizations. Among those were: the Boy Scouts of America, the American Civil Defense Association, the Central Association for the Blind, the Eastern New York Chapter of the Nature Conservancy, the Mohawk Valley Chapter of the American Red Cross, the American Cancer Society, the United Way, and the Herkimer County Historical Society. Additionally, he served as a member of the Herkimer Zoning Board of Appeals from 1963 until 1964, when he was elected to the New York State Assembly.Political career
In 1964, Mitchell was elected to represent Herkimer County in the New York State AssemblyNew York State Assembly
The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature. The Assembly is composed of 150 members representing an equal number of districts, with each district having an average population of 128,652...
(1965–1972) and served in the Republican leadership as the Assembly Majority Whip from 1969 until 1972.
In 1972, he was elected to the United States Congress
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
where he represented what is now New York's 31st Congressional District
New York's 31st congressional district
The 31st Congressional District of New York was a congressional district for the United States House of Representatives in New York. It was eliminated as a result of the 2000 Census...
. After being successfully re-elected to a second term by a wide margin in 1974, he then ran unopposed to for three more terms, serving altogether for 10 years from January 3, 1973 until January 3, 1983.
While in the United States Congress he served on the House Armed Services Committee, and was elected by his colleagues and served 4 years in the House Repbulican Leadership as Regional Whip for New England and the Mid-Atlantic States.
Among other accomplishments in Congress, he was responsible for establishing "Leatherstocking Country", a nine-county tourism district in Central New York state, and played a key role in establishing Fort Stanwix National Monument as a unit of the National Park System.
He and a coalition of other House members also started a campaign in the early 1970s to persuade the Defense Department to award more military contracts and employ more people in the Northeast, which was losing Defense funding and contracts to the South. And in 1974, Mitchell led another successful campaign to prevent the Air Force from cutting 1,500 jobs at the Rome Air Development Center at Griffiss Air Force Base in Rome, N.Y.
He was a founder of, and the first chairman of the Northeast/Midwest Coalition in the U.S. House of Representatives, and was a founding member of the Tourism Caucus in the House of Representatives.
Always well liked by his colleagues on both sides of the aisle, Congressman Mitchell has been described by a Capitol Hill legislative aide as, "without doubt the nicest, most decent Member of Congress I ever knew or worked with -- totally honest, of unquestionable integrity, always receptive to considering all points-of-view, with nothing beyond doing the very best possible for his Country at heart, and willing to work tirelessly for the betterment and continued welfare of his constituents in the Mohawk Valley in Upstate New York."
Life after Congress
In 1984, Mitchell retired from public service and returned to Herkimer, New YorkHerkimer (village), New York
Herkimer is a village in Herkimer County, New York, United States, about southeast of Utica. As of the 2000 census, it had a population of 7,498 people. The village is named after the Herkimers, Palatine German immigrants who settled in this area in 1723...
. There he resumed his optometry practice, he and his wife Gretta dividing their time between homes in the Mohawk Valley
Mohawk Valley
The Mohawk Valley region of the U.S. state of New York is the area surrounding the Mohawk River, sandwiched between the Adirondack Mountains and Catskill Mountains....
and in Cedar Key, Florida
Cedar Key, Florida
Cedar Key is a city in Levy County, Florida, United States. The population was 790 at the 2000 census. According to the U.S Census estimates of 2005, the city had a population of 958. The Cedar Keys are a cluster of islands close to the mainland. Most of the developed area of the city has been on...
.
Following his retirement, Congressman Mitchell received a number of tributes of various sorts. Among these was the naming of the Veterans Administration
United States Department of Veterans Affairs
The United States Department of Veterans Affairs is a government-run military veteran benefit system with Cabinet-level status. It is the United States government’s second largest department, after the United States Department of Defense...
hospital clinic at Griffiss Air Force Base
Griffiss Air Force Base
Griffiss Air Force Base, is a former United States Air Force base, located in Rome, New York, about NW of Utica. Missions at Griffiss AFB included fighter interceptors, electronic research, installation, and support activities, aerial refueling, and bombers...
near Rome, New York, after him—which was formally designated in a bill signed into law by President Clinton to be known as the "Donald J. Mitchell VA Outpatient Clinic". The facility provides primary care and other health care services for veterans in the greater Utica-Rome-Syracuse area in Central New York State.
Also, a highway bridge over West Canada Creek
West Canada Creek
West Canada Creek is a river in upstate New York, USA. West Canada Creek drains the south part of the Adirondack Mountains and empties into the Mohawk River near the Village of Herkimer...
in the Mohawk Valley near the Village of Herkimer was officially designated the "Donald J. Mitchell Bridge" in his honor.
Former Congressman Mitchell died on September 27, 2003, of complications associated with his lengthy battle late in life with Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system...
. Upon his passing, the Utica Observer-Dispatch newspaper noted: "If anyone can be heralded for having led an exemplary life, its former U.S. Congressman Donald J. Mitchell. . . Mitchell managed to balance a vigorous commitment to community and country without ever forsaking family and friends -- and he left a legacy of pride along a path that took him from the Mohawk Valley to the Nation's Capital and back again."
Following memorial services attended by, among many others, various former colleagues from the U.S. Congress and the New York State Assembly, his casket, escorted by both active duty and American Legion veterans color guard
Color guard
In the military of the United States and other militaries, the color guard carries the National Color and other flags appropriate to its position in the chain of command. Typically these include a unit flag and a departmental flag...
s, and borne by uniform personnel representing each branch of the U.S. Military Services, was interred with full military honors at the hillside Oak Hill Cemetery overlooking a tributary of the Mohawk River
Mohawk River
The Mohawk River is a river in the U.S. state of New York. It is the largest tributary of the Hudson River. The Mohawk flows into the Hudson in the Capital District, a few miles north of the city of Albany. The river is named for the Mohawk Nation of the Iroquois Confederacy...
in his hometown of Herkimer.