Alexander Mitchell (October 17, 1817April 19, 1887) was a Scottish-born

banker A bank is a financial institution that accepts Deposit account, deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital m ...

, railroad

financier An investor is a person who allocates financial capital with the expectation of a future return (profit) or to gain an advantage (interest). Through this allocated capital the investor usually purchases some species of property. Types of in ...

and Democratic politician in

Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

Early life

Mitchell was born in

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. Its nam ...

, Scotland, the son of Margaret (Lendrum) and John Mitchell, in 1817 and immigrated to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

in 1839. He pursued a career in banking in

, and founded the Marine Bank of Wisconsin.

Business career

Mitchell was president of the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway from 1864 to 1887. With fellow director Jeremiah Milbank (1818–1884) he built this railroad into one of the most profitable in the United States, and Mitchell became the wealthiest person in Wisconsin.

Political career

Mitchell represented Wisconsin's 1st congressional district in the Forty-second United States Congress. After redistricting he represented Wisconsin's 4th congressional district in the Forty-third United States Congress. He was nominated for

Governor of Wisconsin The governor of Wisconsin is the head of government of Wisconsin and the commander-in-chief of the state's Wisconsin Army National Guard, army and Wisconsin Air National Guard, air forces. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws, and the ...

by the Democratic Party in 1877, but he declined to run.

Curling enthusiast

He was an avid curler, and helped popularize the sport in the United States. Mitchell helped found the Milwaukee Curling Club in the 1840s, and he was elected patron of the Grand National Curling Club.

Death and burial

Mitchell died in New York City and was buried at

Forest Home Cemetery Forest Home Cemetery is a historic rural cemetery and arboretum located in the Lincoln Village, City of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Lincoln Village neighborhood of Milwaukee, Wisconsin and is the final resting place of many of the city's famed bee ...

in Milwaukee.

Legacy

Mitchell owned a mansion across the street from the Milwaukee County Courthouse, which is now the site of the Wisconsin Club. The Historic Mitchell Street neighborhood was named in his honor, as was the city of

Mitchell, South Dakota Mitchell is a city in and the county seat of Davison County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 15,660 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census making it the List of cities in South Dakota, sixth most populous city in South Dako ...

, incorporated in 1881. The Mackie Building, which was constructed by Mitchell as an investment property, is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

. Additionally, the Mitchell Building, which he also built, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as well. His papers, along with those of his son John, are in the archives of the

Wisconsin Historical Society The Wisconsin Historical Society (officially the State Historical Society of Wisconsin) is simultaneously a state agency and a private membership organization whose purpose is to maintain, promote and spread knowledge relating to the history of ...

Family

Mitchell was married to Martha Reed, sister of Harrison Reed, who served as

Governor of Florida The governor of Florida is the head of government of the U.S. state of Florida. The Governor (United States), governor is the head of the Government of Florida#Executive branch, executive branch of the government of Florida and is the comman ...

during

Reconstruction Reconstruction may refer to: Politics, history, and sociology *Reconstruction (law), the transfer of a company's (or several companies') business to a new company *''Perestroika'' (Russian for "reconstruction"), a late 20th century Soviet Union ...

. Mitchell's son,

John L. Mitchell John Lendrum Mitchell (October 19, 1842June 29, 1904) was an Americans, American politician and philanthropist from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. A Democratic Party United States, Democrat, he served one term each in the United States Senate (1893&ndash ...

, was a

Congressman A member of congress (MOC), also known as a congressman or congresswoman, is a person who has been appointed or elected and inducted into an official body called a congress, typically to represent a particular constituency in a legislature. The t ...

and

United States Senator The United States Senate consists of 100 members, two from each of the 50 U.S. state, states. This list includes all senators serving in the 119th United States Congress. Party affiliation Independent Senators Angus King of Maine and Berni ...

, and his grandson,

Billy Mitchell William Lendrum Mitchell (December 29, 1879 – February 19, 1936) was a United States Army officer who had a major role in the creation of the United States Air Force. Mitchell served in France during World War I and, by the conflict's end, ...

, was a

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

officer prominent during the early days of military aviation. The Villa Alexandria estate was located in the

San Marco San Marco is one of the six sestiere (Venice), sestieri of Venice, lying in the heart of the city as the main place of Venice. San Marco also includes the island of San Giorgio Maggiore. Although the district includes Piazza San Marco, Saint Mar ...

neighborhood of

Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville ( ) is the most populous city proper in the U.S. state of Florida, located on the Atlantic coast of North Florida, northeastern Florida. It is the county seat of Duval County, Florida, Duval County, with which the City of Jacksonv ...

References

External links

Wisconsin Club
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mitchell, Alexander 1817 births 1887 deaths People from Ellon, Aberdeenshire Scottish emigrants to the United States Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Wisconsin American male curlers People from West Allis, Wisconsin Politicians from Milwaukee County, Wisconsin 19th-century American railroad executives Burials at Forest Home Cemetery 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives