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Compiled by John H. Wheeler Published in 1903 by B. F. Bowen Biography Page 77 - 79 |
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GEORGE A. MITCHELL
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The name of this public-spirited and influential citizen will always be inseparably associated with the history of Cadillac as he was the founder of the city and for many years so closely identified with its growth and material development as to be called the real father of the place. In October, 1871, the village of Clam Lake was platted under his direction and the lots put upon the market and subsequently when the name was changed to the one it now bears he took a leading part in the transaction and contributed more perhaps than any other man of his day to the wonderful prosperity which then began to manifest and which has since characterized the city's growth. The family of which George A. Mitchell
was an honorable representative is traceable to an early period in the history
of the colonies and the name was quite prominent in various parts of New England
long before the American struggle for independence. His paternal grandfather, a
Revolutionary hero and an officer in the colonial army, was a man of prominence
and great influence and so dreaded was he by the British that emissaries were
sent to effect his arrest with orders to take him "dead or alive." Charles
Mitchell, the subject's father, was a farmer by occupation and is remembered as
a man of sterling character and great industry, but by no means successful in
the accumulation of worldly wealth. He married Lydia Brown, who was a lineal
descendant of Robert Barclay, one of the old colonial governors of New Jersey
and a man whose name is intimately associated with the early history of that
commonwealth. To Charles and Lydia Mitchell were born twelve children, several
of whom became prominent in various vocations, one of the number, Hon. William
Mitchell, having represented an Indiana district in the congress of the United
States in the early 'sixties and acquired a national reputation as a statesman.
George A., the youngest member of the family, was born January 8, 1824, in Root,
Montgomery county, New York, and grew to maturity on his father's farm,
remaining at home until 1843, when he went to Spraker's Basin, and began
clerking in a store. Seven years later he accepted a similar position in a
mercantile establishment at Canajoharie, and after spending some time in that
town engaged in the tanning business at Black Lake, New York, with a partner by
the name of Strong. Subsequently, in 1861, he disposed of his interest in this
enterprise and removed to northern Indiana, settling at Kendallville, whither
his older brother, William, had preceded him, the latter having been the real
founder of that now flourishing western city. At the breaking out of the great
Rebellion Mr. Mitchell was appointed, in August, 1861, to the responsible
position of paymaster in the army, with headquarters at St. Louis', Missouri. In
that exacting office his superior business ability found full scope for its
exercise and so thorough and methodical were his duties performed, so accurate
were his accounts kept and so noticeable his power of organization that he was
soon promoted to the brevet rank of lieutenant colonel. In this connection the
writer quotes from a recently published biographical sketch of Mr. Mitchell
relative to his record while serving as paymaster: "During the remainder of the
Civil war he had entire charge of the pay department at Little Rock, Arkansas,
and a part of the time also at Memphis, Tennessee, with additional duties at
Vicksburg. Frequently he had charge of from five to twenty subordinate
paymasters, and millions of dollars were entrusted to him for disbursement. His
accounts were promptly and accurately rendered to the governmentand settled
satisfactorily. After the close of the war His connection with the army
continued until June, 1867, when he was mustered out." Returning to civil life,
Mr. Mitchell was identified for some time with railroad construction, having
assisted to build the Grand Rapids & Indiana line, now one of the leading roads
of the northwest. In 1871 he purchased the present site of Cadillac in Wexford
county, Michigan, and the same year laid out the town of Clam Lake. With great
faith in the future growth, he at once threw his energies into its development
and later, 1876, moved his family here with the intention of making the town his
permanent home. In early life Mr. Mitchell was a member of the Dutch Reformed church, but after coming to Michigan he united with the Presbyterian congregation at Cadillac and became one of its most zealous workers and liberal supporters. His mind was so broad and catholic that he recognized good in all churches and religious organizations and his generous contributions were by no means confined to the society with which he worshipped. Among his benefactions were the sites for three church edifices of as many different denominations and the ground upon which the public school was erected, also some thirty acres donated for cemetery purposes. Politically Mr. Mitchell was an ardent Republican and he zealously upheld the principles of his party and contributed greatly to its success both in local and state affairs and upon national issues. He was the first mayor of Cadillac and made a splendid record as an executive, and he also served for a number of terms on the board of education, in which capacity he was untiring in his efforts to make the school system of the town among the best in the state. He studied deeply the leading questions of the day, was profoundly versed in politics and statecraft and always kept in touch with current events and with the trend of modern thought. By reason of valuable services rendered his party, he was given a place on the Republican state committee and was serving in that capacity at the time of his death. In 1847 Mr. Mitchell married Miss Marietta L. Wilkins, who was born in Greene county, New York, in the year 1827. She was five years old when his parents removed to Schoharie county, New York, and later she changed her abode to the town of Sprakers, where her marriage was solemnized. Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell became the parents of four children, namely: Sophie, wife of D. E. McIntyre: Alvin W., of Cadillac; Andrew Lee, who resides in Wausau, Wisconsin, and Will C., whose home is in Cadillac. Personally Mr. Mitchell was a gentleman of pleasing presence, modest and unassuming in manner, affectionate in disposition, enterprising in his business affairs, energetic and progressive in all of his undertakings and public spirited in all the term implies. He was a noted example of the successful self-made man and almost an ideal type of intelligent American citizenship. He departed this life at his home in Cadillac on the 8th day of August, 1878, and his death was not only a serious blow to the enterprises he had supported, but was also deeply felt by every citizen of the community which he founded and for the advancement and prosperity of which he did so much. Referring again to the authority from which liberal quotations have already been made, we read the following: "At the tinge of his demise the press of Cadillac as well as the newspapers of other cities paid to the memory of Mr. Mitchell many deserved tributes. On the day of his funeral the business houses were closed and his remains were borne to their last resting place followed by a large concourse of sorrowing people. Resolutions of respect were adopted by the business men of the town, who alluded to him fittingly, as not only the founder of the city but the one who gave life to its enterprises and industries and assisted in its rapid growth and development: whose labors had ever been unselfishly directed to the public good, the advancement of material prosperity and the moral and social elevation of the people, whose kind heart has invariably responded to the appeals of the needy and afflicted and( whose generous hand was ever open to aid every charitable mission and every movement for the welfare of the city which stands today a monument to his zeal and vigilant protection." One of the local papers in reviewing his life and summing up his character, did so in the following appropriate sentences: "As a business man Mr. Mitchell was cautious, yet enterprising; forming his plans with great wisdom and carrying them out with energy and persistence. The prosperity of our town and our remarkable exemption from business failure are doubtless due largely to his prudent management of his own affairs and to his strong influence over other business men. He was a good judge of human nature, not easily imposed upon, yet so generous was he that he would often employ and help those whom he could not always entirely trust." In closing this brief review suffice it to say that Mr. Mitchell was one of the notable men of his day and generation. In every walk of life he was easily the peer of any of his fellows in all that constituted true, noble manhood, and during his residence in Cadillac his name was synonymous with all that was moral, upright and inspiring. He adorned every station he filled and for years to come his name and fame will be cherished by a grateful people, whose hearts and affections constitute his most enduring monument. |