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DAVID BYRDIE MITCHELL, Georgia's 10th and 12th Governor, was born in Muthill, Perthshire, Scotland, on October 22, 1766. In 1782 he immigrated to Savannah, Georgia, and claimed ownership of property he inherited from an uncle. Seven years later, he became a U.S. citizen. He also passed the bar that same year, and started a career in public service. He served as a member of the Georgia House of Representatives from 1794 to 1798, was the solicitor general of his district in 1795, and served on the bench of the Eastern Division of the Superior Court from 1798 to 1801. He served as mayor of Savannah from 1801 to 1802, and was U.S. attorney general for Georgia from 1803 to 1805. He also served as a captain in the Georgia militia in 1793, resigning as a major general in 1804. The general assembly elected Mitchell Governor of Georgia in 1809, and reelected him again in 1811. Mitchell turned down the gubernatorial nomination in 1813, but accepted in 1815, winning reelection to the governor's office for a third term. During his tenure, improvements in banking amenities were instituted, the state militia was fortified, and grants were provided for the University of Georgia. Legislation was enacted that banned dueling, and developments were advanced for roads and highway construction. Mitchell resigned from the governor's office in 1817 and took an appointment as Federal Indian Agent to the Creek Indians. On March 4, 1821, he was released from his appointment after being falsely charged with slave smuggling. In 1836 he served as a member of the Georgia Senate, and from 1828 to 1837 he served on the bench of Baldwin County's Inferior Court. Governor David B. Mitchell died on April 22, 1837, and he is buried at the Memory Hill Cemetery in Milledgeville, Georgia.

Sources:

Sobel, Robert, and John Raimo, eds. Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States, 1789-1978, Vol. 1, Westport, Conn.; Meckler Books, 1978. 4 vols.

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