Mitchell was born inMiddletown Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, on February 18, 1806, the son of Walter Mitchell and Hannah (Comly) Mitchell.[1][2][3] AQuaker,[4][5] he attended the public schools in Pennsylvania and became ajourneyman miller.[6] He settled inLockport, New York, in 1828 or 1829, operated a successfulgrain milling business, and was appointed to the volunteer fire department in 1829.[7][8] He was also active in other business ventures, including the Batavia and Lockport Railroad[9] and the Niagara Suspension Bridge Bank.[10]
On December 2, 1829, he married Elizabeth F. Ellis inHenrietta, New York.[11][12] She was born inPrinceton, New Jersey, on October 23, 1809, and died inCincinnati, Ohio, on February 24, 1898.[13][14] According to the 1850 U.S. Census, they were the parents of three children— Pierson, Mary, and Josephine.[15]
Active as aWhig, he was an early protege and business partner ofThurlow Weed.[16] In 1836 he was elected to the U.S. House as the Representative of New York's 33rd District.[17] He was reelected in 1838 and served from March 4, 1837, to March 3, 1841.[18][19]
During his second term, Mitchell was accused of not devoting his full attention to the business of Congress, and of not spending time in his district.[20] He was convicted of forgery later in 1841, and sentenced to one year in prison and a fine, but paroled for ill health, and later pardoned.[6][21][22][23][24][25][26]
He later lived in Cincinnati and northernKentucky.[15] By the time of theAmerican Civil War, Mitchell had established himself inFlemingsburg, Kentucky.[27] By now aRepublican, in 1860 and 1861 he sent letters toAbraham Lincoln and others in Lincoln's administration, in which he described the Kentucky political situation and the prospects for success at keeping the state in the Union.[28]
Later in the war Mitchell was part of a delegation that lobbiedSecretary of StateWilliam H. Seward for the release of individuals from the Flemingsburg area who were being held prisoner for suspectedConfederate sympathies, with Mitchell taking part because he was personally acquainted with Seward from their time as Whig politicians in New York.[29]
^abHistorian of the United States House of Representatives."Biography, Charles F. Mitchell".Bioguide.congress.gov. Washington, DC: United States House of Representatives. RetrievedDecember 14, 2024.
This article incorporatespublic domain material fromBiographical Directory of the United States Congress.Federal government of the United States.
