George T. Mitchell Biography


	This biography appears on pages 1121-1122 in "History of South 
	Dakota" by Doane Robinson, Vol. II (1904) and was scanned, 
	OCRed and edited by Maurice Krueger, mkrueger@iw.net.

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	GEORGE T. MITCHELL, one of the successful and highly esteemed 
farmers of Grant comity, has the distinction of being a scion of one of 
the representative pioneer families of Ionia county, Michigan, where he 
was born on the 20th of May, 1855, being a son of Curtis B. and Martha 
(Troop) Mitchell, both of whom were born and reared in the state of New 
York. The father early removed to Michigan and developed a good farm in 
Ionia county, and there continued to reside until his death, in 
November, 1889, at which time he was sixty-eight years of age. His 
father, George Mitchell, a veteran of the war of 1812, settled in 
Michigan in 1839. The family was founded in New England in the early 
colonial epoch, being of Scotch-Irish extraction. 

	George T. Mitchell was reared on the homestead farm, while his 
educational advantages were those afforded by the public schools and a 
commercial college in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Thereafter he was for a 
number of years employed as a commercial traveling salesman, in which 
connection he met with excellent success and gained a reputation for 
ability and energy. In 1882 he came to what is now South Dakota and took 
up his permanent abode in Melrose township, Grant county, having come 
here the preceding fall and purchased one hundred and sixty acres of 
land, upon which he located in June of the year mentioned, while later 
he added another tract of equal area, so that he now has a farm of two 
hundred and forty acres, improved with good buildings, fences, etc., and 
devoted to. diversified agriculture and to the raising of good live 
stock. He gives no little attention to dairying, and furnishes a very 
considerable supply of milk to the co-operative creamery at Milbank, 
having been one of those actively identified with the establishment of 
the enterprise, which met with some opposition or apathy on the start, 
much trouble having been experienced for a time in securing the co-
operation of many of those who are now numbered among its principal 
supporters, though it now has about one hundred and twenty-five patrons. 
He was elected president of the operating company at the time of its 
organization, and has ever since continued in tenure of this office, 
while it is due in no small degree to his energy and progressive ideas 
that the institution has built up a fine business, having the best 
creamery plant in the state. About three and a half million pounds of 
milk are received each year in the plant, and the annual product 
aggregates about twenty-six thousand to twenty-eight thousand pounds of 
butter. Mr. Mitchell is also treasurer of the farmers' grain elevator at 
Milbank having been one of the organizers of the company and having 
contributed materially to the success of the enterprise, whose financial 
prosperity has shown how great benefits may be gained by farmers through 
such co-operation. About two hundred thousand bushels of wheat and 
thirty thousand bushels of flax are handled annually. The company buys 
on a close margin and is thus enabled to declare very gratifying 
dividends to the stockholders. Mr. Mitchell was a member of the board of 
county commissioners from 1891 for twelve years and was chairman of the 
same for nine years. The significance of this long tenure of the 
important office as a Democrat in a strong Republican county is prima 
facie, as it indicates in an unmistakable way the high degree of 
confidence and esteem in which he is held in the county and the 
objective appreciation of his loyalty and business and executive 
ability. At the time of this writing he is also supervisor of his 
township. He manifests at all times a lively interest in public affairs, 
particularly those of a local nature, and in politics is a stalwart 
advocate of the principles of the Democratic party. Fraternally he is 
identified with Milbank Lodge, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, which 
he represented in the grand lodge of the state for three years, and with 
Milbank Chapter, Royal Arch Masons, in which he is serving his third 
year as high priest, while he also holds membership in the auxiliary 
chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star, and is affiliated with the 
Modern Woodmen of America and the Ancient Order of United Workmen. 

	At Ionia, Michigan, on the 17th of November, 1880, was solemnized 
the marriage of Mr. Mitchell to Miss Mary Allen, who was born in 
Allegany county, New York, as were also her parents, Roy and Melissa 
(Lewis) Allen, representatives of old colonial stock and now residents 
of Milbank. Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell have four children, Maude E., Curtis 
B., Clara M. and Leroy.