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Richard F. Mitchell

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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.

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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

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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

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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

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  1. ^ a b c d "Former Iowa Supreme Court Judge Dies", Sioux City Journal (August 3, 1969), p. 8.
  2. ^ "Richard F. Mitchell (1932-1943)". Iowa Judicial Branch. Retrieved January 6, 2020.
  3. ^ Rosow, Jerome M.; Miller, Virginia; Levine, Lillie (1949). "American Men in Government: A Biographical Dictionary and Directory of Federal Officials".
  4. ^ "RICHARD F. MITCHELL". Iowa State University.
  5. ^ "Aug 04, 1969, page 9 - The Baltimore Sun at Baltimore Sun". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2024-06-08.
  6. ^ "Richard F. Mitchell (Supreme Court of Iowa)". CourtListener.
  7. ^ a b c "Richard F. Mitchell (1932-1943)". Iowa Judical Branch. 2024.
  8. ^ Ropes, Wayne. "Summary of Official Canvass Primary Election June 5, l944" (PDF).
  9. ^ Stated on Finding Your Roots, February 2, 2021.
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Party political offices
Preceded by Democratic nominee for Governor of Iowa
1944
Succeeded by
Frank Miles
Political offices
Preceded by Justice of the Iowa Supreme Court
1932–1942
Succeeded by