William D. Mitchell

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
William D. Mitchell

William DeWitt Mitchell (* 9. September 1874 in Winona , Minnesota ; † 24. August 1955 in Syosset , New York ) was an American lawyer, politician, Solicitor General and Minister of Justice .

Studies, professional and military career

Mitchell, whose father William B. Mitchell was a judge at the Supreme Court of Minnesota, first graduated from 1891 to study electrical engineering at Yale University , which he gave up after two years. This was followed by a study of law at the University of Minnesota , which he graduated with a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) in 1896. After admission to the bar , he opened a law firm in Saint Paul before co-founding How, Taylor & Mitchell joint law firm in 1902, which soon became one of the largest law firms in the Midwest . At the same time he was in 1919 a member of the regional council of the US railroad administration.

During the Spanish-American War from April to August 1898, he was a second lieutenant in the 15th Minnesota Volunteer Infantry Regiment . He was then a Judge Advocate of the 2nd Army Corps. During the First World War he was promoted to colonel . As such, he reorganized the Minnesota 6th Infantry Regiment.

After leaving the Justice Department, he settled as a lawyer in New York City .

Solicitor General and Minister of Justice

On June 4, 1925, President Calvin Coolidge named him Solicitor General . He was the Justice Department official who represents the federal government before the Supreme Court when it is a party to a legal dispute. After the Minister of Justice and his deputy (Deputy Attorney General), he held the third rank in the hierarchy of the Ministry of Justice.

Four years later he was appointed Coolidge's successor as President, Herbert C. Hoover , on March 4, 1929 his justice minister . He held this office until the end of Hoover's presidency on March 4, 1933.

During this tenure, the United States Supreme Court ruled on May 27, 1929 that the so-called pocket veto is constitutional . In 1931 Mitchell was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences .

He later chaired a committee to review the Civil Procedure Act in 1938 and served as chief legal advisor to the Joint Committee of Congress investigating the Japanese air raid on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.

See also

Web links and background literature

Commons : William D. Mitchell  - Collection of Images, Videos, and Audio Files
personal data
SURNAME Mitchell, William D.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Mitchell, William DeWitt (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American lawyer and attorney general
DATE OF BIRTH September 9, 1874
PLACE OF BIRTH Winona , Minnesota
DATE OF DEATH August 24, 1955
Place of death Syosset , New York