Richard F. Mitchell
Richard Furlong Mitchell (October 11, 1889 – August 2, 1969)[1][2] was the chief justice of the Iowa Supreme Court from December 6, 1932, to December 31, 1942.
Early life and Legal career[edit]
Born in Fort Dodge, Iowa,[1] he was the son of Sarah A. (née Furlong) and Peter M. Mitchell. He was one of six children.[3] He graduated from Iowa state law school in 1913. He spent much of the next 19 years of his career in private practice at Fort Dodge.[4] From 1924 to 1931, he was a Democratic State Central Committee member. In 1929 he was a Democratic National committeeman.[5] He married Mirian Reynolds.
Iowa Supreme Court[edit]
He was elected from Webster County on December 6 1932, after Justice William L. Bliss resigned from the court. During that time, he authored 465 opinions.[6] He also served as chief justice for part of his time.[7] He had two daughters while serving, in 1937 and 1942. He left the court in 1942, and was replaced by John E. Mulroney.
Post Court[edit]
After he left the court, he returned to his private practice in Fort Dodge.
During World War Two, he was a labor mediator for President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and then President Harry S. Truman.[7]
In the 1944 Iowa gubernatorial election, Mitchell was the Democratic nominee for governor of Iowa. He received 43.61 percent of the vote, and lost to republican Robert D. Blue.[8] In 1946, Truman appointed Mitchell to the Interstate Commerce Commission, and was the chairman of it from 1954 to 1957. He retired in 1959.[1][7]
Mitchell died at his home in Chevy Chase, Maryland, at the age of 79.[1] His funeral was in Washington DC, and he is buried in Gate of heaven cemetery, in Maryland. His grandson is comedian and actor Jim Gaffigan.[9]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d "Former Iowa Supreme Court Judge Dies", Sioux City Journal (August 3, 1969), p. 8.
- ^ "Richard F. Mitchell (1932-1943)". Iowa Judicial Branch. Retrieved January 6, 2020.
- ^ Rosow, Jerome M.; Miller, Virginia; Levine, Lillie (1949). "American Men in Government: A Biographical Dictionary and Directory of Federal Officials".
- ^ "RICHARD F. MITCHELL". Iowa State University.
- ^ "Aug 04, 1969, page 9 - The Baltimore Sun at Baltimore Sun". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2024-06-08.
- ^ "Richard F. Mitchell (Supreme Court of Iowa)". CourtListener.
- ^ a b c "Richard F. Mitchell (1932-1943)". Iowa Judical Branch. 2024.
- ^ Ropes, Wayne. "Summary of Official Canvass Primary Election June 5, l944" (PDF).
- ^ Stated on Finding Your Roots, February 2, 2021.
External links[edit]
- Iowa Judicial Branch Past Iowa Supreme Court Justices page for Richard F. Mitchell at the Wayback Machine (archived 2015-09-24)
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