John Mitchell (politician)

John Mitchell (born March 8, 1781 in Newport , Perry County , Pennsylvania , †  August 3, 1849 in Bridgewater , Pennsylvania) was an American politician . Between 1825 and 1829 he represented the state of Pennsylvania in the US House of Representatives .

Career

John Mitchell attended public schools in his home country. In 1800 he moved to Bellefonte , where he was employed by an ironworks. In 1818 he became sheriff in Center County . He then worked as an engineer and as a surveyor. He built many toll roads ( turnpikes ) in central and northern Pennsylvania. Politically, he was a member of the Democratic Republican Party . In the 1820s he joined the movement around the future President Andrew Jackson . He was a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in 1822 and 1823 .

In the congressional elections of 1824 Mitchell was elected to the US House of Representatives in Washington, DC , in the twelfth constituency of Pennsylvania , where he succeeded John Brown on March 4, 1825 . After a re-election, he was able to complete two legislative terms in Congress until March 3, 1829 . This period was marked by heated discussions between the supporters of Andrew Jackson and those of President John Quincy Adams and Henry Clay , respectively .

During his time as an MP, Mitchell was entrusted with the land survey for various canal projects in Pennsylvania during the breaks in Congress. In 1829 he became the sewer commissioner of his home state. From 1842 he lived in Bridgewater in Beaver County . In his later years he worked again in the iron industry and as an engineer. From 1845 until his death on August 3, 1849, John Mitchell was a member of the canal inspectorate of his state.

Web links

• John Mitchell in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)
• John Mitchell in the database of Find a Grave (English)

predecessor	Office	successor
John Brown	United States House Representative for Pennsylvania (12th constituency) March 4, 1825 - March 3, 1829	John Scott