Oregon Republican League: Elder Photos

Oregon Republican League:Republican League Register of Oregon, The Register Publishing Company, 1896, page 248.

MITCHELL, JOHN H. [Editor inserted: John Hipple Mitchell born John Mitchell Hipple], of Portland, Senator from Oregon, was born in Washington County, Pennsylvania, June 22, 1835. The family soon moved to Butler County, and here he was reared on a farm and inured to hard work. He worked and studied and read law, and in this way acquired a good classical and legal education. In 1860 he came to the Pacific coast, and soon located in Portland. He at once took a prominent part in upholding the Union against the strong local Southern sentiment, and was soon elected to the state senate, and for four years was president of that body. In 1886 he only lacked one vote of the body in 1872. During the exciting controversy regarding the presidential election of 1876, Mr. Mitchell served as chairman of the senate committee on privileges and elections, and as such prepared the report on the Hayes-Tilden contest for the investigation in Louisiana, South Carolina, Florida and Oregon. It was a masterly document, and was the basis of the settlement of the controversy. He was again elected to the senate in 1885, and for a third time in 1891, senator Mitchell is now one of the oldest members of the body in length of service, and is one of the senators whose names are known from one end of the country to the other. He is also a member of the Judiciary Committee, and of a number of the important committee.