Charles Richmond Mitchell (November 30, 1872 – August 16, 1942) was a Canadian

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 lawyer, judge, cabinet minister and former Leader of the Official Opposition in the Legislative Assembly of Alberta

Legislative Assembly of Alberta

The Legislative Assembly of Alberta is one of two components of the Legislature of Alberta, the other being the Queen, represented by the Lieutenant-Governor of Alberta. The Alberta legislature meets in the Alberta Legislature Building in the provincial capital, Edmonton...

.

Early life

Charles R. Mitchell was born in Newcastle

Newcastle, New Brunswick

Newcastle is a Canadian urban neighbourhood in the city of Miramichi, New Brunswick.Prior to municipal amalgamation in 1995, it was an incorporated town and the shire town of Northumberland County....

, New Brunswick

New Brunswick

New Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only province in the federation that is constitutionally bilingual . The provincial capital is Fredericton and Saint John is the most populous city. Greater Moncton is the largest Census Metropolitan Area...

. At the time, the Mitchells were a prominent local family: Mitchell's father was the Sheriff of Northumberland County

Northumberland County, New Brunswick

Northumberland County , having the largest area of any county in the province, is located in northeastern New Brunswick, Canada.-Geography:Northumberland County is covered by thick forests, whose products stimulate the economy...

 and his uncle was Peter Mitchell

Peter Mitchell (politician)

Peter Mitchell, PC was a Canadian politician and one of the Fathers of Confederation.Mitchell ran again in 1856 as an opponent of prohibition, which had been proposed by the government. He carried a pistol for protection during the campaign and rum for his supporters. He was successful in this...

, a senator

Canadian Senate

The Senate of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the House of Commons, and the monarch . The Senate consists of 105 members appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister...

 and later Premier of New Brunswick.

He went to the University of New Brunswick

University of New Brunswick

The University of New Brunswick is a Canadian university located in the province of New Brunswick. UNB is the oldest English language university in Canada and among the first public universities in North America. The university has two main campuses: the original campus founded in 1785 in...

 and King’s College

University of King's College

The University of King's College is a post-secondary institution in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. King's is a small liberal arts university offering mainly undergraduate programs....

 and took the New Brunswick bar exam in 1897. The next year he moved to Medicine Hat

Medicine Hat, Alberta

Medicine Hat, known to locals as "The Hat", is a city of 61,097 people located in the southeastern part of the province of Alberta, Canada. It is enclaved within Cypress County along with the nearby Town of Redcliff, although neither is part of the county....

, at that time in the Northwest Territories

Northwest Territories

The Northwest Territories is a federal territory of Canada.Located in northern Canada, the territory borders Canada's two other territories, Yukon to the west and Nunavut to the east, and three provinces: British Columbia to the southwest, and Alberta and Saskatchewan to the south...

 and opened a thriving legal practice. He was appointed as a Judge in 1907 for the Calgary District Court and joined Arsenal shortly afterwards.

Cabinet Minister

Mitchell was first elected in a by-election in Medicine Hat

Medicine Hat (provincial electoral district)

Medicine Hat is an Albertan provincial electoral district, covering most of the city of Medicine Hat.Under the Alberta electoral boundary re-distribution of 2004, the constituency covers the portion of the city north of the South Saskatchewan River, the Trans-Canada Highway and Carry Drive...

 provincial electoral district on June 29, 1910 after he was appointed to the cabinet by Premier Arthur Lewis Sifton

Arthur Lewis Sifton

Arthur Lewis Watkins Sifton, PC, KC was a Canadian politician who served as the second Premier of Alberta from 1910 until 1917 and as a minister in the Government of Canada thereafter. Born in Ontario, he grew up there and in Winnipeg, where he became a lawyer...

 on June 1, 1910.

Mitchell served two cabinet portfolios as the Minister of Education and the Attorney General of the province. He would serve both portfolios for 2 years until he became Minister of Public Works on May 4, 1912, dropping the others. In the 1913 Alberta general election

Alberta general election, 1913

The Alberta general election of 1913 was the third general election for the Province of Alberta, Canada. The writ was dropped on 25 March 1913 and election day was held 17 April 1913 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta. Elections in two northern districts took place on 30 July...

 Mitchell was defeated by Nelson Spencer

Nelson Spencer

Nelson Spencer was a merchant, provincial level politician from Alberta, Canada, and a lieutenant colonel with the Canadian Expeditionary Force in World War I.-Biography:...

 from the Conservative party. Mitchell was the only Cabinet minister defeated that election, but was 1 of a number of high-profile defeats across the province.

After his defeat in the 1913 general election, George Lane

George Lane (politician)

George Lane was an American-born Canadian politician and rancher and known as one of the Big Four who helped found the Calgary Stampede in 1912.George was foreman at the world famous Bar U Ranch....

, the Member for Bow Valley, resigned to provide a seat for the defeated Minister. On June 12, 1913 he was acclaimed and once again rejoined the government. He would serve Bow Valley as its Member until his resignation in 1926.

Mitchell was reappointed Cabinet as the Provincial Treasurer on November 28, 1913. He became the first non-premier Treasurer in Alberta history. He held that position until the government was defeated in 1921.

On April 29, 1920 Mitchell was appointed to be Minister of Municipal Affairs in addition to being the Treasurer.

Defeat of the government

Mitchell survived was one of the few Liberal Party members who survived the defeat of the government in 1921. After the Resignation of John R. Boyle to the judiciary on October 27, 1924 Mitchell became the fifth leader of the Liberal Party of Alberta. He would serve as Leader of the Official opposition until he was appointed in 1926 as a Justice to the Supreme Court of Alberta Appellate Division

Court of Appeal of Alberta

The Court of Appeal of Alberta is an Canadian appellate court.-Jurisdiction and Hierarchy within Canadian Courts:The Court is the highest court in Alberta, Canada...

, vacating his seat and position as Liberal leader. He retired from the judiciary in 1936.

Mitchell died in 1942 in Edmonton, Alberta.

Electoral record

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1921 Alberta general election Alberta general election, 1921 The Alberta general election of 1921 was the fifth general election for the Province of Alberta, Canada. It was held on July 18, 1921 to elect members to the 5th Alberta Legislative Assembly....  results (Bow Valley)			Turnout 87.8%
Liberal Alberta Liberal Party The Alberta Liberal Party is a provincial political party in Alberta, Canada. Originally founded in 1905, when the province was created, it was the dominant political party until 1921 when it was defeated. It has never been in government since that time...	Charles Richmond Mitchell	1,694	72.30%	United Farmers of Alberta United Farmers of Alberta The United Farmers of Alberta is an association of Alberta farmers that has served many different roles throughout its history as a lobby group, a political party, and as a farm-supply retail chain. Since 1934 it has primarily been an agricultural supply cooperative headquartered in Calgary...	George A. Love	649	27.70%
1917 Alberta general election Alberta general election, 1917 The Alberta general election of 1917 was the fourth general election for the Province of Alberta, Canada, held on 7 June 1917 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta....  results (Bow Valley)			Turnout 70.9%
Liberal Alberta Liberal Party The Alberta Liberal Party is a provincial political party in Alberta, Canada. Originally founded in 1905, when the province was created, it was the dominant political party until 1921 when it was defeated. It has never been in government since that time...	Charles Richmond Mitchell	604	58.13%	Conservative Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta The Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta is a provincial centre-right party in the Canadian province of Alberta...	Edmund F. Purcell	435	41.87%
1913 by-election results (Bow Valley)			font style="font-size: 90%;">Turnout N/A
Liberal Alberta Liberal Party The Alberta Liberal Party is a provincial political party in Alberta, Canada. Originally founded in 1905, when the province was created, it was the dominant political party until 1921 when it was defeated. It has never been in government since that time...	Charles Richmond Mitchell	Acclaimed
1913 Alberta general election Alberta general election, 1913 The Alberta general election of 1913 was the third general election for the Province of Alberta, Canada. The writ was dropped on 25 March 1913 and election day was held 17 April 1913 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta. Elections in two northern districts took place on 30 July...  results (Medicine Hat Medicine Hat (provincial electoral district) Medicine Hat is an Albertan provincial electoral district, covering most of the city of Medicine Hat.Under the Alberta electoral boundary re-distribution of 2004, the constituency covers the portion of the city north of the South Saskatchewan River, the Trans-Canada Highway and Carry Drive... )			Turnout N.A.
Conservative	Nelson Spencer Nelson Spencer Nelson Spencer was a merchant, provincial level politician from Alberta, Canada, and a lieutenant colonel with the Canadian Expeditionary Force in World War I.-Biography:...	1,843	50.27%	Liberal Alberta Liberal Party The Alberta Liberal Party is a provincial political party in Alberta, Canada. Originally founded in 1905, when the province was created, it was the dominant political party until 1921 when it was defeated. It has never been in government since that time...	Charles Richmond Mitchell	1,823	49.73%
1910 by-election results (Medicine Hat Medicine Hat (provincial electoral district) Medicine Hat is an Albertan provincial electoral district, covering most of the city of Medicine Hat.Under the Alberta electoral boundary re-distribution of 2004, the constituency covers the portion of the city north of the South Saskatchewan River, the Trans-Canada Highway and Carry Drive... )			font style="font-size: 90%;">Turnout N.A.
Liberal Alberta Liberal Party The Alberta Liberal Party is a provincial political party in Alberta, Canada. Originally founded in 1905, when the province was created, it was the dominant political party until 1921 when it was defeated. It has never been in government since that time...	Charles Richmond Mitchell	1,134	62.86%	Conservative Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta The Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta is a provincial centre-right party in the Canadian province of Alberta...	W. Huckvale	670	37.14%