John Mitchell

John Mitchell

Full Name: John Mitchell
Date of birth: April 1837
Date of death: April 10, 1921

Terms of Service top

Chamber District Dates of Service Legislatures Party City/County Note Counties in District
H 16 Jan 13, 1874 - Apr 18, 1876 14th (1) (2) (3)   Republican Caldwell / Burleson   Burleson, Washington
H 17 May 9, 1870 - Jan 14, 1873 12th (5) (6) (7)   Radical Republican Caldwell / Burleson   Brazos, Burleson, Milam

(1) District 16 comprised of Washington and Burleson counties, shall elect one Senator and three Representatives; District 17 comprised of Falls, Milam, and Bell counties, shall elect one Senator and three Representatives, p. 45, Acts 1873, 13th Legislature, ch. 35, Apportionment Laws of Texas, 1836-1950, 1950.
(2) 16th District, Republican, p. 5. Directory of the Members and Officers of the Fourteenth Legislature of the State of Texas . . ., 1874.
(3) 17th District, list of members elect in typescript journal. House Journal.
(4) 12th Legislature, Provisional Session - No record of Mitchell voting or taking the oath of office. 12th Legislature, 1st C.S. - Mitchell sworn on 5/9/1870, p. 83. House Journal.
(5) Party affiliation, Radical. Texas Almanac for . . . and Emigrant's Guide to Texas.
(6) Party affiliation, Radical. Roster of members, 12th Legislature, 1870. Texas Almanac for . . . and Emigrant's Guide to Texas.
(7) Radical Republican Association, established 6/4/1870, p. 26. Through Many Dangers, Toils, and Snares: Black Leadership in Texas, 1868-1898, 2016.

Terms of Service top

House District 16
Jan 13, 1874 - Apr 18, 1876
Legislatures: 14th (1) (2) (3)  
Party: Republican
Home City/County: Caldwell / Burleson
Counties in district: Burleson, Washington
House District 17
May 9, 1870 - Jan 14, 1873
Legislatures: 12th (5) (6) (7)  
Party: Radical Republican
Home City/County: Caldwell / Burleson
Counties in district: Brazos, Burleson, Milam

(1) District 16 comprised of Washington and Burleson counties, shall elect one Senator and three Representatives; District 17 comprised of Falls, Milam, and Bell counties, shall elect one Senator and three Representatives, p. 45, Acts 1873, 13th Legislature, ch. 35, Apportionment Laws of Texas, 1836-1950, 1950.
(2) 16th District, Republican, p. 5. Directory of the Members and Officers of the Fourteenth Legislature of the State of Texas . . ., 1874.
(3) 17th District, list of members elect in typescript journal. House Journal.
(4) 12th Legislature, Provisional Session - No record of Mitchell voting or taking the oath of office. 12th Legislature, 1st C.S. - Mitchell sworn on 5/9/1870, p. 83. House Journal.
(5) Party affiliation, Radical. Texas Almanac for . . . and Emigrant's Guide to Texas.
(6) Party affiliation, Radical. Roster of members, 12th Legislature, 1870. Texas Almanac for . . . and Emigrant's Guide to Texas.
(7) Radical Republican Association, established 6/4/1870, p. 26. Through Many Dangers, Toils, and Snares: Black Leadership in Texas, 1868-1898, 2016.

Biographical Information top

Resolutions and Journal entries

  • 79th Legislature, R.S., HR 589, paying tribute to African American legislators and constitutional convention delegates of 1868-1900. Resolutions - Congratulatory and Honorary.
  • 81st Legislature, R.S., HCR 81, paying tribute to African American legislators and constitutional convention delegates. Resolutions - Congratulatory and Honorary.
  • 85th Legislature, R.S., HR 452, celebrating Black History Month and honoring the leadership and vision of African American lawmakers. Resolutions - Congratulatory and Honorary.
  • 88th Legislature, R.S., SCR 13, Recognizing the Texas Black Reconstruction Legislators Recognition Act. SB 667, Texas Black Reconstruction Legislators Recognition Act. Resolutions - Congratulatory and Honorary. SB 667 SCR 13
  • 88th Legislature, R.S., SCR 13, Recognizing the Texas Black Reconstruction Legislators Recognition Act. SB 667, Texas Black Reconstruction Legislators Recognition Act. Resolutions - Legislative Policy. SB 667 SCR 13

Biographical Sketches

  • Biographical information in Alwyn Barr, "Black Legislators of Reconstruction Texas," Volume 32, Number 4, December 1986, pp. 340-352. Civil War History.
  • Portrait and biographical sketch. Forever Free: Nineteenth Century African-American Legislators and Constitutional Convention Delegates of Texas, 2002.
  • Mentioned in footnote 5, p. 264, Gideon Lincecum, 1793-1874: a Biography, by Lois Wood Burkhalter. "During the Reconstruction, Negroes found their military and political services in demand by the Texas Republican Party." Google Books.
  • MITCHELL, JOHN (1837-1921). Born April 1837 in Tennessee, died 4/10/1921 at his Burleson County farm. "He joined the Radical Republican Association, organized to uphold Governor Edmund J. Davis's vetoes of railroad-development bills during the Twelfth Legislature." Handbook of Texas Online.
  • Biographical sketch, p. 21. One of six African-American delegates to the Constitutional Convention of 1875, pp. 51-52, Appendix A. Birth year 1837, Appendix D. Through Many Dangers, Toils, and Snares: Black Leadership in Texas, 1868-1898, 2016.

Other Resources

  • One of six African-American delegates to the Constitutional Convention of 1875, Volume II, p. 732. East Texas: Its History and Its Makers, 1940.
  • John Mitchell, born circa 1836-1837 in Tennessee, died 1921, burial in Mitchell Family Cemetery, Gus, Burleson County. Includes historical marker photo. Find a Grave.
  • Mentioned in Negro Legislators of Texas and Their Descendants, 1970.
  • Delegate to Constitutional Convention, 1875. Included in Journal of the Constitutional Convention of the State of Texas: Begun and Held at the City of Austin Texas. Constitutional Convention (1875). Galveston : Printed for the Convention at the "News" Office, 1875, pp. 3-4. Texas Constitutions Digitization Project (Tarlton Law Library, The University of Texas at Austin), 2009.
  • Historical marker, John Mitchell, Caldwell, Burleson County Courthouse grounds, Burleson County. Texas Historic Sites Atlas (Texas Historical Commission).

Photographs

  • Photograph. John Mitchell, 14th Legislature, State Preservation Board
  • Photograph. John Mitchell, State Preservation Board
  • Photograph. J. Mitchell, Constitutional Convention of 1875 Composite Photo. From the collection of the Texas State Library and Archives Commisison.

Composite Photographs on Display in the Capitol

Committee Information top

14th R.S. - 1874
Education  
12th Adjourned - 1871
House Employees, To Determine the Number of  
12th R.S. - 1871
Penitentiary  

This website is a work in progress. Information on this website is provided as a public service by the Legislative Reference Library. The Legislative Reference Library makes no representation as to its completeness or accuracy and makes no warranty in regard to its use. Users assume all risk of reliance on the information included on this site.

Party information is not available for the 1st-11th Legislatures.

Have a question, comment or contribution? Email the Library or call 512-463-1252.

Many photos in Texas Legislators: Past and Present are used with permission of the Texas State Preservation Board. For permission to reproduce these photos, please contact the Texas State Preservation Board graphics coordinator at 512-475-3060.