David Brydie Mitchell (October 22, 1766 – April 22, 1837) was a Scottish born American politician in Georgia who was elected in 1809 as governor of the state, serving two terms. He was elected again in 1815 for one term. Mitchell moved to Georgia at the age of 24. He had earlier been elected as mayor of

Savannah A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) biome and ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach th ...

and was appointed as state attorney general. He also served three terms in the

Georgia General Assembly The Georgia General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is bicameral, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. Each of the General Assembly's 236 members serve two-year terms and are directl ...

, two in the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entities. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often ...

, and one in the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

. Mitchell resigned from the governorship in 1817 to accept an appointment by President

James Monroe James Monroe ( ; April 28, 1758July 4, 1831) was an American Founding Father of the United States, Founding Father who served as the fifth president of the United States from 1817 to 1825. He was the last Founding Father to serve as presiden ...

as United States Indian Agent to the

Creek Nation The Muscogee Nation, or Muscogee (Creek) Nation, is a List of federally recognized tribes, federally recognized Native American tribe based in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The nation descends from the historic Muscogee Confederacy, a large grou ...

in their lands in present-day Georgia and Alabama. He followed the more than two-decade tenure of Benjamin Hawkins. In 1820 he was prosecuted for being involved in smuggling of American slaves from Spanish Florida. He was replaced in 1821 by President Monroe, who appointed John Crowell.

Early life

Mitchell was born in Muthill,

Perthshire Perthshire (Scottish English, locally: ; ), officially the County of Perth, is a Shires of Scotland, historic county and registration county in central Scotland. Geographically it extends from Strathmore, Angus and Perth & Kinross, Strathmore ...

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

, on October 22, 1766. As a young man, he inherited land in Georgia from his late uncle. He moved to Georgia in 1782 after the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

Savannah, Georgia Savannah ( ) is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia and the county seat of Chatham County, Georgia, Chatham County. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the Kingdom of Great Brita ...

, to claim it."David Brydie Mitchell," ''This Day in Georgia History: April 22''
Ed Jackson and Charly Pou, Carl Vinson Institute of Government, The University of Georgia, accessed February 14, 2012 Enthusiastic about the new country, Mitchell read the law with established attorneys and passed the bar. He was elected as mayor of Savannah (1801–1802) and made connections statewide. Mitchell married Jane Mills in 1792, and according to family records the couple had six children: William, John, Sara, Edward, Mary, and David II.

Political career

Mitchell was appointed as Attorney General of Georgia (1796–1806). He moved to Mount Nebo Plantation, near the state capital of Milledgeville. He served three terms in the

, two as a representative and one in the

. Mitchell was elected to two consecutive two-year terms as the 27th Governor of Georgia (1809–1813) and a third non-consecutive term from 1815 to 1817. He resigned from his third term as governor to accept appointment by President

as the U.S. agent to the Creek Indians. One of Mitchell's responsibilities was the negotiation of the Treaty of the Creek Agency (1818), by which the Creek ceded land to the United States. He was accused in the American Importation Case of 1820 (see '' The Antelope'') of smuggling slaves into Creek and US territory, in violation of the 1808 law against the American slave trade. While his direct responsibility remains controversial, Mitchell allowed those engaged in this illegal activity to seek refuge for their captives at the agency he supervised along the Flint River. The incident resulted in a major inquiry and his dismissal by President James Monroe in 1821. Beginning in 1828, Mitchell was appointed to serve as the inferior court judge of Baldwin County, Georgia. He was elected as Baldwin County's State Senator in 1836.

Legacy and honors

* Fort Mitchell, Alabama, was built by the Georgia militia in 1813 on land he donated, and it was named for him. Fort Mitchell Historic Site is a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a National Register of Historic Places property types, building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the Federal government of the United States, United States government f ...

. Adjacent is Fort Mitchell National Cemetery, opened in 1987. * Fort Mitchell, Florida, also named for him, was from January to May 1814 the capital of the Republic of East Florida.

Death and legacy

Mitchell died at Mount Nebo Plantation, his home in Milledgeville, on April 22, 1837. He is buried at Memory Hill Cemetery of the same city.

References

External links

"David Brydie Mitchell"
Portrait and Bio, Georgia Secretary of State site

Carl Vinson Institute of Government, The University of Georgia
Behind the Names: Part 1
U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs website]
"Historical Information"
Fort Mitchell National Cemetery
David Byrdie Mitchell Papers
a
Newberry Library
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mitchell, David Brydie 1766 births 1837 deaths Politicians from Richmond, Virginia Governors of Georgia (U.S. state) Georgia (U.S. state) attorneys general Mayors of Savannah, Georgia People from Perth and Kinross United States Indian agents Georgia (U.S. state) Democratic-Republicans Burials at Memory Hill Cemetery Democratic-Republican Party state governors of the United States Post-1808 importation of slaves to the United States