Wiley F. Mitchell, Jr. (born 1932) is an attorney and former politician in Virginia.

Early life and education

A native of North Carolina, Mitchell graduated from Wake Forest University

Wake Forest University

Wake Forest University is a private, coeducational university in the U.S. state of North Carolina, founded in 1834. The university received its name from its original location in Wake Forest, north of Raleigh, North Carolina, the state capital. The Reynolda Campus, the university's main campus, is...

 with a Bachelor's degree in 1952 and in 1954 graduated from Wake Forest Law School.

Political career

Mitchell was elected a member of the Alexandria City Council, serving from 1967 to 1976 as a Republican

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...

. He received the most votes for city council and was Vice-Mayor from 1972 to 1975. In 1975, he was the Republican nominee in Senate District 30 and defeated incumbent Leroy S. Bendheim

Leroy S. Bendheim

Leroy S. Bendheim was a two-term mayor of Alexandria, Virginia and three-term Virginia state senator.-Family and early life:...

. In the Virginia Senate, Mitchell served as Minority Floor Leader from 1984 - 88. In 1988, Mitchell resigned his seat to be the Senior General Counsel for Norfolk Southern Corporation.

Private practice

While serving as General Counsel at Norfolk Southern, Mitchell was also president of the National Association of Railroad Trial Counsel. Today he is in private practice in Norfolk, Virginia

Norfolk, Virginia

Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....

 and holds leadership positions as Board member of The Nature Conservancy

The Nature Conservancy

The Nature Conservancy is a US charitable environmental organization that works to preserve the plants, animals, and natural communities that represent the diversity of life on Earth by protecting the lands and waters they need to survive....

 of Virginia, the Virginia Beach Foundation, and the Sorensen Institute of the University of Virginia

University of Virginia

The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...

, Trustee of the Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center, a member of the Regional Board of the Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce, and a member of the Virginia Senate Ethics Advisory Panel. Mitchell also serves as a Board member of Virginians for High Speed Rail and as a trustee of the Virginia Rail Policy Institute. He is a former Board member of the Virginia Chamber of Commerce and was for many years Chairman of the Chamber's Government Affairs Committee.