Elisha Mitchell

Elisha Mitchell
Portrait of Rev. Elisha Mitchell, 1858
Born	August 19, 1793(1793-08-19) Washington, Connecticut, USA
Died	June 27, 1857(1857-06-27) (aged 63) Yancey County, North Carolina, USA
Residence	Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
Nationality	American
Fields	Chemist and Geologist
Institutions	University of North Carolina
Alma mater	Yale University
Known for	Proving Mt. Mitchell was highest mountain east of the Rockies Acting President of the University of North Carolina
Signature

Elisha Mitchell (August 19, 1793 – June 27, 1857) was born in Washington, Connecticut. As a professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, in 1835, he measured the height of Mt. Mitchell. Mt. Mitchell is the highest point east of the Mississippi River. It is located in North Carolina and is 6,684 feet (2,037 m) high. Elisha Mitchell fell to his death at nearby Mitchell Falls in 1857, having returned to verify his earlier measurements, which were challenged by one of his students. In 1881-82 the U.S. Geological Survey upheld Mitchell's measurement of the highest peak in the eastern US and officially named it Mount Mitchell.

Tomb of Elisha Mitchell on the peak of Mount Mitchell

The Journal of the Elisha Mitchell Scientific Society, published by the North Carolina Academy of Science, was founded in his honor in 1883.

References and external links

• Biography from DICTIONARY OF NORTH CAROLINA BIOGRAPHY, primary reference
• Inventory of the Elisha Mitchell Papers, 1816-1905