William Ledyard Mitchell (November 2, 1881 – May 18, 1964) was an American automobile executive and

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

player. A native of

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...

, Mitchell graduated from

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

, where he was selected as a fullback on the

1903 College Football All-America Team The 1903 College Football All-America team is composed of various organizations that chose College Football All-America Teams that season. The organizations and individuals that chose the teams included ''Collier's Weekly'' selected by Walter Cam ...

. Members of the Yale Class of 1904 created the Ledyard Mitchell Cup trophy awarded each year to a Yale player for proficiency in punting. Mitchell became president of the Maxwell Motor Car Company in 1917. When Maxwell folded, Mitchell was appointed the receiver. In 1922, he became vice president in charge of manufacturing when Maxwell's manufacturing operations were merged into

Chrysler Corporation FCA US, LLC, doing business as Stellantis North America and known historically as Chrysler ( ), is one of the " Big Three" automobile manufacturers in the United States, headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan. It is the American subsidiary of ...

. He was named secretary and vice president in charge of manufacturing in the early days of Chrysler. In 1926, he became general manager of operations for Chrysler with responsibility for Chrysler's five manufacturing plants. And in 1931, he was named chairman of Chrysler Export Corporation. Mitchell was married in 1910 to Sara Moulton Sherman. The couple had five children, Sara Sherman Mitchell, William Ledyard Mitchell, Jr., Mary Sherman Mitchell, Frank Sherman Mitchell and Ann Sherman Mitchell. Mitchell died on May 18, 1964, at his home in Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mitchell, Ledyard 1881 births 1964 deaths American football fullbacks Chrysler executives Yale Bulldogs football players All-American college football players People in the automobile industry Businesspeople from Cincinnati Players of American football from Cincinnati 20th-century American businesspeople