Bios.Tulsa,OK MITCHELL, John O. 
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Posted by Carolyn Smith Burns on Tue, 03 Nov 1998
Surname: MITCHELL, CAREY, SHAW, HARVEY
JOHN O. MITCHELL
Vol. 3, p. 1120-21
Book has photo 
Ten years has seen the making of Tulsa as a city and commercial center of Oklahoma. Even for the Southwest, Tulsa's growth has been remarkable. It has been well said that men not buildings and material things make a city, and wonderful though Tulsa's position and resources are, it has required the faith, enthusiasm and enterprise of such men as John O Mitchell to produce the modern Tulsa. Hand in hand with his extended business activities has gone a public spirit which has kept a continuous directing force is those movements most vital to Tulsa's prosperity. It was a singularly fitting recognition of his business and civic leadership when he was called to become the president of the first commission government in Tulsa, and as Tulsa was the first city in the state to acquire that progressive type of municipal organization he was the first commission mayor in Oklahoma. 
Prior to his removal to Tulsa in 1904, Mr. Mitchell's life and activities were centered largely in Southern Missouri. He was born in Dade County in that section of the state October 22, 1862, a son of DeWitt C. and Nancy (CAREY) Mitchell, who were natives of Tennessee. His father was born on the Holston River not far from Knoxville in 1833, and died in 1880 when but forty-seven years of age. In 1855 he removed to Dade County, Missouri, became a pioneer farmer and stock raiser, and was content to be recognized as a substantial agriculturist, and never entered politics for the sake of office. He was a republican, during the Civil War participated as a soldier in the Union Army, and was in the crucial battle of Wilson's Creek on August 10, 1861, in which lamented General LYONS lost his life. Mrs. Mitchell was born at Jefferson Tennessee, and died in 1908. Of her 10 children, 9 are still living. 
The third in order of birth, John O. Mitchell spent his early life in southern Missouri, attended the public schools and was also a student at Ozark College. Like many other successful men he began his career as a school teacher, and for eight years had various schools under his charge. In the meantime he was also working at farming and stock raising and also operated a general merchandise store. For many years his interests were chiefly as a farmer, and he developed his holdings to large proportions. He is still recognized as one of leading livestock men in Dade County, and for a number of years bought cattle, hogs and mules and was frequently seen in the Kansas City market. Mr. Mitchell still has extensive holdings in southern Missouri, owning about 1,400 acres near Lockwood, of farm from which he produced in 1915, 4,000 bushels of wheat, and also keeps a 180 head of cattle and 200 hogs. He was also identified with the Dade County Bank, and was one of its directors until his removal to Tulsa in August 1904. The first political honors he ever received were in his native state. Without solicitation on his part he was nominated as a candidate for the General Assembly on the democratic ticket in a strong republican county. Congressman David DEARMOND was a candidate on the same ticket. Mr. Mitchell's popularity and reputation was that that in spite of normal conditions he lost the election by only eighty votes. He was a member of the convention that nominated David FRANCIS or governor of Missouri at Sedalia. 
With an unusual breadth of experience and with extensive resources in a business way Mr. Mitchell became an aggressive factor in the development of Tulsa as soon as he located there. That same year he was a Tulsa committeemen in the delegation which went from Oklahoma to Washington for the purpose of advocating joint statehood, and committees decision was one of the important factors in influencing the deliberations of Congress, which less than two years later in acted the statehood law for Oklahoma and Indian Territory. In 1906, Mr. Mitchell was elected mayor of Tulsa on the democratic and served one term. In 1910, after the legislature had granted the city a commission charter, he was elected mayor and is personal and loans was important in making this municipal experiment a success in Oklahoma, and as a result many other cities have since followed the example of Tulsa and are now efficiently governed by the commission charter. 
Only a brief outline can be attempted of Mr. Mitchell's varied business associations with Tulsa and Oklahoma. He became interested in the Illinois Oil and Gas Co. of Red Fork, which built a brick plant using for fuel some of the abundant natural gas produced in that section and the brick were shipped in large quantities to Tulsa during its great building boom and also to other points in Oklahoma. In 1907 he was one of the organizers of the Central National Bank of Tulsa was elected its first vice president, and still holds that office. He was vice president and one of the large stockholders in the Barnes Oil Company, which in 1909 sold its interest for $750,000 to the Prairie Oil and Gas Company. He was also at one time owner of the Galbreath Oil and Gas Company of Tulsa, which subsequently was sold to the Oklahoma Natural Gas Company. Mr. Mitchell was associated with that Pioneer oil man, Robert GALBREATH, in the development of the famous Glenn Pool, and he still retains large holdings in the oil and gas producing companies in Northeastern Oklahoma. Outside of Oklahoma Mr. Mitchell has valuable business property on Walnut Street in Kansas City, owns a half interest in the Mitchell and Barnes Addition on Grand Avenue in the city of Dallas, Texas, a property valued at $200, 000, and laid out and developed the suburb of West Tulsa, and also has extensive real estate holdings in Dallas proper. Mr. Mitchell is president of the Democratic Printing Company of Dallas, all who are at all familiar with the development of Tulsa within the last decade freely credit Mr. Mitchell with a most important share in the business and civic activities of the city. His name is usually found at the top of any role of supporters for public spirited movements, and it has been his privilege to have initiated enterprises that have been a marked material benefit to the city. 
Mr. Mitchell processes that genial social character which gives him standing in all organizations for social purposes, and was one of the leading spirits in organizing the Elk's Home at Tulsa. He is a past exalted ruler of Tulsa Lodge No. 946 of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, is a member of the Knights of Pythias, and in 1885 to disperse degree in masonry in Garrett lodge, A. F. & A. M. at Acola, misery. He is now identified with the Scottish Rite Consistory at South McAlester and with Akdar Temple of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine of Tulsa. 
Mr. Mitchell has one of the fine homes of Tulsa and justifiably proud of his fine family. February 25, 1886, he married Miss Alice M. YOUNG, who was born near Greenfield, Missouri. To their marriage have been born six children, two of whom died in infancy. Belva L., is the wife of Ralph H. SHAW of Tulsa; Garland G. is an energetic young businessman of Tulsa; Young O. is a graduate of the University of Kansas and is now engaged in business at Tulsa; and Eudora, who is a graduate of Fairmont Seminary, is the wife of John H. HARVEY of Tulsa. 
Transcribed by Carolyn Smith Burns on November 2, 1998