Harlan Erwin Mitchell, Sr. (August 17, 1924 – September 13, 2011) was a United States Representative from Georgia

Georgia (U.S. state)

Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...

.

Mitchell was born in Dalton, Georgia

Dalton, Georgia

Dalton is a city in Whitfield County, Georgia, United States. It is the county seat of Whitfield County and the principal city of the Dalton, Georgia Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of both Murray and Whitfield counties. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 33,128...

 and attended the Citadel

The Citadel (military college)

The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, also known simply as The Citadel, is a state-supported, comprehensive college located in Charleston, South Carolina, USA. It is one of the six senior military colleges in the United States...

 in Charleston, South Carolina

Charleston, South Carolina

Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...

. From 1943 through 1946, he served as a first lieutenant in the United States Army Air Corps

United States Army Air Corps

The United States Army Air Corps was a forerunner of the United States Air Force. Renamed from the Air Service on 2 July 1926, it was part of the United States Army and the predecessor of the United States Army Air Forces , established in 1941...

. He also served in the United States Air Force

United States Air Force

The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...

 in 1951 and 1952.

Between his years of service in the two military branches, Mitchell attended the University of Georgia School of Law

University of Georgia School of Law

The University of Georgia School of Law is a graduate school of the University of Georgia. Founded in 1859 and located in Athens, Georgia, USA, Georgia Law was formerly known as the Lumpkin School of Law. The Law School is the second oldest of the University's schools and colleges. The University...

 in Athens

Athens, Georgia

Athens-Clarke County is a consolidated city–county in U.S. state of Georgia, in the northeastern part of the state, comprising the former City of Athens proper and Clarke County. The University of Georgia is located in this college town and is responsible for the initial growth of the city...

 and earned LL.B. in 1948. He was admitted to the bar on April 17, 1948, and practiced law in Dalton.

Mitchell served as the Cherokee Judicial Circuit solicitor general

State's Attorney

In the United States, the State's Attorney is, most commonly, an elected official who represents the State in criminal prosecutions and is often the chief law enforcement officer of their respective county, circuit...

 from January 1, 1953, until December 31, 1956 and as a judge in that circuit's Superior Court from January 1, 1957, until January 8, 1958. Upon the 1957 death of U.S. Representative

United States House of Representatives

The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...

 Henderson Lovelace Lanham

Henderson Lovelace Lanham

Henderson Lovelace Lanham was an American politician and lawyer.Lanham was born in Rome, Georgia. He attended the University of Georgia in Athens where he was a member of the Sigma Chi Fraternity, and graduated with an Bachelor of Arts in 1910 and Bachelor of Law degree with honors in 1911...

 from the Georgia's 7th congressional district

Georgia's 7th congressional district

Georgia's 7th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Georgia. The district includes all of Barrow and Walton counties and portions of Forsyth, Gwinnett, and Newton counties....

, Mitchell ran as a Democrat

Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

 and won the special election to fill Lanham's term in the 85th United States Congress

85th United States Congress

The Eighty-fifth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from January 3, 1957 to January 3, 1959, during the fifth and sixth...

. He won re-election in 1958 and did not seek re-election in 1960. Mitchell was elected to the Georgia State Senate in 1960 and served for one full term. After his political service, Mitchell returned to his law practice in Dalton and resided there until his death on September 13, 2011 at the age of 87.