James L. Mitchell

(Sept. 29, 1834-Feb. 22, 1894). James L. Mitchell was born in Shelby County, Kentucky, and lived in Monroe County, Indiana, before moving to Indianapolis in 1859. There, he read law and was married in 1864 to Clara E. Carter. During the Civil War, he served as an officer in the 70^th Regiment of the Indiana Volunteer Infantry, attaining the rank of major.

In 1873, he became the first Democratic mayor of the city since the mid-1850s. Mitchell served only a single two-year term and then resumed his law practice. In 1886 and 1888, he was elected prosecuting attorney for Marion and Hendricks counties. He also served as an Indiana University trustee in the 1880s.

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