David Brydie Mitchell
| David Brydie Michell | |
|---|---|
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| Governor of Georgia | |
| In office 1809–1813 |
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| In office 1815–1817 |
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| Personal details | |
| Profession | Lawyer |
David Brydie Mitchell (October 22, 1766 – April 22, 1837) was a Scots-American politician in Georgia. He was elected as mayor of Savannah and next was appointed as state attorney general. He served three terms in the Georgia General Assembly.
He was first elected as governor in 1808, and served two terms. He was elected again in 1814, but resigned in 1817 to accept an appointment by President James Monroe as United States Indian Agent to the Creek people in their lands in present-day Georgia and Alabama.
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Early life [edit]
Mitchell was born in Muthill, Perthshire, Scotland on October 22, 1766.
As a young man, he immigrated in 1782 after the American Revolutionary War to Savannah, Georgia after having inherited land from his late uncle.[1] Enthusiastic about the new country, he read the law and became an attorney. He became an American citizen in 1789.[1] He was elected as mayor of the city (1801–1802) and made connections statewide.
Political career [edit]
Mitchell was appointed as Attorney General of Georgia (1796–1806). He moved to Mount Nebo Plantation, near the state capital of Milledgeville. He served three terms in the Georgia General Assembly, two as a representative and one in the Senate.
Mitchell was elected to two consecutive two-year terms as the 27th Governor of Georgia (1809–1813) and a third non-consecutive term from 1815 to 1817. He was the last governor of Georgia to be born outside the United States .
He resigned from his third term as governor to accept appointment by President James Monroe as the U.S. agent to the Creek Indians. One of Mitchell's responsibilities was the negotiation of the Treaty of the Creek Agency (1818). He was erroneously accused in the African Importation Case of 1820 of smuggling slaves into Creek and US territory, in violation of the 1808 law against the international slave trade and resigned his position.[1]
Beginning in 1828, Mitchell was appointed to serve as the inferior court judge of Baldwin County, Georgia. He was later elected as Baldwin County's State Senator in 1836.
Legacy and honors [edit]
- Fort Mitchell in Alabama was built by the Georgia militia in 1813 on land he donated, and it was named for him.
- 1987, Fort Mitchell National Cemetery was named for him and opened in Phenix City, Alabama.
Death and legacy [edit]
Mitchell died at Mount Nebo Plantation, his home in Milledgeville, on April 22, 1837. He is buried at Memory Hill Cemetery of the same city.
References [edit]
- ^ a b c "David Brydie Mitchell," This Day in Georgia History: April 22, Ed Jackson and Charly Pou, Carl Vinson Institute of Government, The University of Georgia, accessed 14 February 2012
- "David Brydie Mitchell", Portrait and Bio, Georgia Secretary of State site
- "David Brydie Mitchell," This Day in Georgia History: April 22, Ed Jackson and Charly Pou, Carl Vinson Institute of Government, The University of Georgia
- History: Office of the Attorney General of Georgia, Georgia state government
- Behind the Names: Part 1, U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs website]
- "Historical Information", Fort Mitchell National Cemetery
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Thomas Gibbons |
Mayor of Savannah 1801-1802 |
Succeeded by Charles Harris |
| Preceded by Jared Irwin |
Governor of Georgia 1809–1813 |
Succeeded by Peter Early |
| Preceded by Peter Early |
Governor of Georgia 1815–1817 |
Succeeded by William Rabun |
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- 1760 births
- 1837 deaths
- Governors of Georgia (U.S. state)
- Georgia (U.S. state) Attorneys General
- Mayors of Savannah, Georgia
- People from Perth and Kinross
- Scottish emigrants to the United States
- American people of Scottish descent
- United States Indian agents
- Georgia (U.S. state) Democratic-Republicans
- Burials at Memory Hill Cemetery
- Democratic-Republican Party state governors of the United States
