Parren Mitchell

Parren Mitchell

Parren James Mitchell (born April 29, 1922 in Baltimore , Maryland , † May 28, 2007 there ) was an American politician . Between 1971 and 1987 he represented the state of Maryland in the US House of Representatives .

Career

Parren Mitchell attended public schools in his home country. Between 1942 and 1945 he served in the US Army during World War II , where he commanded an infantry company. He was wounded while on duty in Italy . For his military achievements he was awarded the Purple Heart . After the war he continued his education: by 1950 he graduated from Morgan State College ; then he studied until 1952 at the University of Maryland . He later taught sociology at Morgan State College . From 1963 to 1965 Mitchell served as executive director of the Maryland Humas Relations Division and from 1965 to 1968 he served as director of the Baltimore Community Action Agency . Between 1954 and 1957 he worked for the judicial authorities of the city of Baltimore, where he headed the commission for monitoring the probation conditions. In 1969 and 1970 he was the head of Baltimore Neighborhoods Inc.

Politically, Mitchell joined the Democratic Party . In July 1972 he was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in Miami Beach ; in the same year he took part in the regional Democratic Party conference in Maryland. In the 1970 congressional election , Mitchell was elected to the US House of Representatives in Washington, DC in the seventh constituency of his state , where he succeeded Samuel Nathaniel Friedel on January 3, 1971 . After seven re-elections, he was able to complete eight legislative terms in Congress by January 3, 1987 . During this time the Vietnam War ended . In 1974, political life in the United States was shaken by the Watergate affair . Mitchell was chairman of the Committee on Small Business from 1981 to 1987 . In 1986 he decided not to run again.

After his tenure in the US House of Representatives, Parren Mitchell ran unsuccessfully for the office of lieutenant governor of Maryland. After that, a series of strokes gradually worsened his health. This led to placement in a nursing home. Nonetheless, when his health permitted, he appeared occasionally at public events. He died in Baltimore on May 28, 2007.

Web links

• Parren Mitchell in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)

• Parren Mitchell in the database of Find a Grave (English)