James L. Mitchell was an American lawyer, army officer and 11th mayor of the city of Indianapolis, Indiana

Indianapolis, Indiana

Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...

. Mitchell was born in Kentucky

Kentucky

The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...

 and settled in Indianapolis in 1859 where he read law

Reading law

Reading law is the method by which persons in common law countries, particularly the United States, entered the legal profession before the advent of law schools. This usage specifically refers to a means of entering the profession . A small number of U.S...

. During the American Civil War

American Civil War

The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...

, Mitchell was an officer in the 70th Regiment Indiana Infantry

70th Regiment Indiana Infantry

The 70th Regiment Indiana Infantry was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Service:The 70th Indiana Infantry was organized at Indianapolis, Indiana July 22 through August 8, 1862, and mustered in for a three year enlistment under the command of Colonel...

 and, near the end of the war, a major

Major

Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...

 on the staff of General Lovell Rousseau

Lovell Rousseau

Lovell Harrison Rousseau was a general in the United States and Union Armies during the American Civil War and a lawyer and politician in both Kentucky and Indiana.-Early life and career:...

. He returned to his law practice following the war and in 1873 became the first Democratic Party

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...

 mayor of Indianapolis since Charles G. Coulon

Charles G. Coulon

Charles G. Coulon was the sixth mayor of the city of Indianapolis, Indiana. Coulon emigrated from Germany in 1847 to avoid military service. Coulon arrived in Indianapolis in 1852 where he studied law and eventually opened an office. He was elected as justice of the peace in 1856. In November of...

 twenty-seven years earlier. In fact from 1856 to 1890, Mitchell's two-year term (1873–1875) is the only one not served by a Republican

Republican Party (United States)

The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

.