James Mitchell (1843 - 1897)

Born 16 Mar 1843 in Scotch Settlement, Bright, York, New Brunswick

Ancestors

Husband of Mary Ann (Ryder) Mitchell — married 17 Dec 1873 in Saint Stephen, New Brunswick, Canada

Died 15 Dec 1897 at age 54 in St. Stephen, Charlotte, New Brunswick, Canada

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Preceded by
Andrew G. Blair

8th Premier of New Brunswick
17 July 1896 – 29 October 1897

Succeeded by
Henry Emmerson

Preceded by
Michael Adams

Surveyor-General (New Brunswick)
1883-1890

Succeeded by
Lemuel J. Tweedie

Preceded by
David McLellan

Provincial Secretary (New Brunswick)
1890-1896

Succeeded by
Lemuel J. Tweedie

Biography

James Mitchell is Notable.

James Mitchell was a prominent lawyer, member of the Legislative Assembly, Surveyor General and Provincial Secretary in early New Brunswick. Originally elected as a Conservative, he became a founding member of the New Brunswick Liberal Party. From 1896 to 1897, he briefly became the 8th Premier of New Brunswick.

Early Life

James Mitchell was born March 16, 1843 at Scotch Settlement, York County, New Brunswick. He was a son of William Mitchell, an immigrant from Scotland who arrived in New Brunswick in 1827, and Ann (Dobie) Mitchell. His parents owned a farm.^[1][2]

He was educated there at the common school, and later at the Collegiate School in Fredericton. He graduated in 1867 with a Bachelor of Arts from the University of New Brunswick. He taught school briefly before entering the study of Law. He was called to the New Brunswick Bar in 1870. He started his practice with the firm of Gregory and Blair in Fredericton, which would begin his long relationship with future New Brunswick Premier Andrew Blair.^[1][2]

Involvement in Common Schools

In 1871, New Brunswick implemented the Common Schools Act which was an act designed to provide standardized education and teacher training in New Brunswick, but also had the dual goal of eliminating the role of churches in the New Brunswick school system. This caused unrest, particularly among Roman Catholics in the province who also represented the majority of the French linguistic minority. The unrest created by this legislation culminated in the deaths of two people during riots in Caraquet in 1875, after which the Act was amended to allow some church influence over teacher education and curriculum.^[3]

Mitchell was appointed inspector of schools for Charlotte County in 1872 and served in this capacity until 1875 which would have made him privy to the drama surrounding these events. In rural and Anglophone Charlotte County, however, he would have been somewhat removed from the furo. He served in this capacity again 1877 to 1879. He was also secretary fo the Saint Stephen School Board and a Census Commissioner.^[1]

Marriage

On December 17, 1873, he married Mary Ann Ryder from Saint Stephen. They lived in that area and had a relatively small family for that time, only two children one of whom died young.^[1][4][5]

Judicial Appointment

In 1873, he was appointed stipendiary magistrate for the town of Bathurst in 1873 for a period.^[6]

Election to Legislature and Surveyor-General

In 1883, he was elected to the House of Assembly for the Province of New Brunswick as a Conservative representative for Charlotte County. Charlotte County was allotted four members in the house and he came in third on a list of 14 candidates. He aligned himself with his long-time associate Andrew Blair, the founder of the early Liberal Party of New Brunswick. In March of the same year, Mitchell was appointed to the Executive Council and became Surveyor General.^[1] He was again return as a member of the Assembly in 1886 and 1890.

As Surveyor-General, Mitchell travelled extensively throughout New Brunswick submitting reports on various jurisdictions. He reported on the inefficiencies of the 1872 land grant act, which frequently did not result in much development but in granted land being sold for profit and timber. He wrote about the decline seen in the New Brunswick lumber industry in the 1880s as iron overtook wood as the primary material used in the construction of bridge, ships and other mechanical works. He saw the completion of the railway network and increased links with the United States and being key to the New Brunswick economy, allowing more efficient natural resource exports.

He was re-elected as a member for Charlotte County in 1886, 1890 and 1892.

Other Cabinet Appointments under Blair

In 1890, became Provincial Secretary and Receiver-General as of February 3, 1890. He did not deliver much good news in his first budget. Delivered in 1892, it lamented New Brunswick increasing debt due to rail subsidies and increased corporate and liquor taxes to offset a shortfall in revenue. There was also a report in the budget of the 1892 Cholera epidemic.^[2]

While Provincial Secretary he also held the position of Agriculture Secretary and was instrumental in establishing a thriving dairy industry in New Brunswick. By 1895, New Brunswick had become a cheese exporter and had a thriving export industry in this realm.

Premier of New Brunswick

When Andrew Blair resigned to enter the federal cabinet in July 1896, James Mitchell became New Brunswick's eighth Premier but served only briefly before retiring from politics in 1897 due a rapid decline in his health.

Honours, Death and Legacy

In early 1897, he received an Honorary Doctor of Laws from the University of New Brunswick.^[7]

James passed away on December 15, 1897 and was interred at the Saint Stephen Rural Cemetery.^[8]

Mitchell Lake in New Brunswick was named after James Mitchell.

Known Children

• Mary Catherine Mitchell 1877-1879
• Florence Ryder (Mitchell) McGregor 1879-1949 m. Gordon McGregor

Census Records

• 1851 Census, Douglas Parish, New Brunswick
• 1871 Census, Saint Stephen, New Brunswick
• 1881 Census, Saint Stephen, New Brunswick

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4} Biographical Article, The Fredericton Evening Capital, March 19, 1887. Transcribed in Johnson, Daniel Vital Statistics From New Brunswick Newspapers, Vol 68 No 1777
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2} Richard Wilbur, “MITCHELL, JAMES,” in Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 12, University of Toronto/Université Laval, 2003–, accessed August 9, 2022, http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/mitchell_james_12E.html.
3. ↑ Wikipedia contributors. (2022, March 27). Common Schools Act of 1871. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 20:31, August 9, 2022, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Common_Schools_Act_of_1871&oldid=1079505064
4. ↑ Marriage Bond Record (James Mitchell / Mary Anne Ryder), Public Archives of New Brunswick
5. ↑ Marriage Announcement, Saint Croix Courier, Dec 18, 1873
6. ↑ Article on James Mitchell Being Appointed Stipendiary Megistrate of Bathurst, Colonial Farmer, Jan 22, 1873. Transcribed in Johnson, Daniel Vital Statistics From New Brunswick Newspapers, Vol 33 No 1672
7. ↑ Pomp and Circumstance, 1873, University of New Brunswick
8. ↑ Find A Grave: Memorial #160560672, Hon. James Mitchell (1843-1897)

See Also:

• Mitchell, James, The Wood of New Brunswick, The Scottish Forestry Journal, 1884.
• Wikipedia contributors. (2022, April 28). James Mitchell (Canadian politician). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 09:59, August 10, 2022, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=James_Mitchell_(Canadian_politician)&oldid=1085052396
• The Canadian Parliamentary Guide, 1905. Retrieved from Google Books Aug 10, 2022.