Mitch Harper
Encyclopedia
Mitchell V. "Mitch" Harper is an American
politician from Fort Wayne, Indiana
.
He was elected as a Fort Wayne Common Council member from the 4th District on November 6, 2007. He was elected to a second term on November 8, 2011. He currently serves as President of the Common Council.
Harper served as a Representative in the Indiana House of Representatives
from 1978 to 1990. At 22 years of age, Harper was the youngest member of the Indiana House. After 6 terms totaling 12 years in the legislature, Harper voluntarily left the body as a demonstration of his personal commitment to term limits. In 1992 he served as a presidential elector for Indiana. Harper, an attorney, edits the weblog Fort Wayne Observed.
He is a native of New Haven, Indiana
and a life-long resident of Allen County
. Harper grew up living above the family funeral business founded by his great-grandfather, Edward, in 1889. His great-great grandfather, William Harper, was a pioneer settler in Allen County, Indiana. William Harper had immigrated to the United States from County Tyrone
, Ireland
.
Mitch Harper is a graduate of Indiana University
and the Indiana University School of Law - Indianapolis
. He was selected by the Council of State Governments
as a Toll Fellow in the first year of that program.
He has taught as an adjunct instructor in the Keith Busse School of Business at the University of Saint Francis
in Fort Wayne.
, a Democrat
who did not seek re-election.
Mitch Harper won renomination as the Republican candidate for the Fourth District Common Council seat in the May 3, 2011 primary election. He was unopposed for renomination. He won re-election with over 64% of the votes cast on November 8, 2011. Harper pledged in 2007 to run a positive campaign. In the 2011 campaign he created a humorous video regarding negative campaigning called "The Silly Season" that may be found on the Vimeo and YouTube video hosting services.
The Fourth District is on the west side of the City of Fort Wayne and comprises Waynedale
and much of Aboite Township.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
politician from Fort Wayne, Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
.
He was elected as a Fort Wayne Common Council member from the 4th District on November 6, 2007. He was elected to a second term on November 8, 2011. He currently serves as President of the Common Council.
Harper served as a Representative in the Indiana House of Representatives
Indiana House of Representatives
The Indiana House of Representatives is the lower house of the Indiana General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Indiana. The House is composed of 100 members representing an equal number of constituent districts. House members serve two-year terms without term limits...
from 1978 to 1990. At 22 years of age, Harper was the youngest member of the Indiana House. After 6 terms totaling 12 years in the legislature, Harper voluntarily left the body as a demonstration of his personal commitment to term limits. In 1992 he served as a presidential elector for Indiana. Harper, an attorney, edits the weblog Fort Wayne Observed.
He is a native of New Haven, Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
and a life-long resident of Allen County
Allen County, Indiana
As of the census of 2000, there were 331,849 people, 128,745 households, and 86,259 families residing in the county. The population density was 505 people per square mile . There were 138,905 housing units at an average density of 211 per square mile...
. Harper grew up living above the family funeral business founded by his great-grandfather, Edward, in 1889. His great-great grandfather, William Harper, was a pioneer settler in Allen County, Indiana. William Harper had immigrated to the United States from County Tyrone
County Tyrone
Historically Tyrone stretched as far north as Lough Foyle, and comprised part of modern day County Londonderry east of the River Foyle. The majority of County Londonderry was carved out of Tyrone between 1610-1620 when that land went to the Guilds of London to set up profit making schemes based on...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
.
Mitch Harper is a graduate of Indiana University
Indiana University
Indiana University is a multi-campus public university system in the state of Indiana, United States. Indiana University has a combined student body of more than 100,000 students, including approximately 42,000 students enrolled at the Indiana University Bloomington campus and approximately 37,000...
and the Indiana University School of Law - Indianapolis
Indiana University School of Law - Indianapolis
The Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law is located on the campus of Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis in Indianapolis, Indiana. The law school is one of two law schools operated by the Indiana University system, the other being the Indiana University...
. He was selected by the Council of State Governments
Council of State Governments
The Council of State Governments is a nonpartisan non-profit organization in the United States serving the state governments. It serves state legislatures, state courts, and executive branch officials and agencies, and is the only multi-branch organization of state governments in the United...
as a Toll Fellow in the first year of that program.
He has taught as an adjunct instructor in the Keith Busse School of Business at the University of Saint Francis
University of Saint Francis (Indiana)
The University of Saint Francis is a liberal arts university located in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church, the university promotes Catholic and Franciscan values...
in Fort Wayne.
2007 and 2011 Common Council campaigns
Mitch Harper was the 2007 Republican nominee for the Fourth District Fort Wayne Common Council seat. Harper handily won the seat in the fall election with a nearly 60% margin. Harper succeeded Tom HayhurstTom Hayhurst
Thomas Eldon Hayhurst is a former city council member from Fort Wayne, Indiana. He unsuccessfully sought Indiana's 3rd District Congressional seat as the Democratic nominee in 2006 and 2010.-Background:...
, a Democrat
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...
who did not seek re-election.
Mitch Harper won renomination as the Republican candidate for the Fourth District Common Council seat in the May 3, 2011 primary election. He was unopposed for renomination. He won re-election with over 64% of the votes cast on November 8, 2011. Harper pledged in 2007 to run a positive campaign. In the 2011 campaign he created a humorous video regarding negative campaigning called "The Silly Season" that may be found on the Vimeo and YouTube video hosting services.
The Fourth District is on the west side of the City of Fort Wayne and comprises Waynedale
Waynedale, Indiana
Waynedale is a community in the southwest quadrant of Fort Wayne, Indiana in Allen County. The community was founded in 1921 by Abner Elzey, a Methodist preacher from Ossian. Residents signed petitions in 1957 requesting annexation by the City of Fort Wayne...
and much of Aboite Township.