John Mitchell, Jr.
| John Mitchell Jr. | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
July 11, 1863 Richmond, Virginia, U.S. |
| Died | December 3, 1929 (aged 66) Richmond, Virginia, U.S. |
| Occupation | journalist, politician |
| Political party | Republican |
John Mitchell Jr. (July 11, 1863 – December 3, 1929) was an American businessman, newspaper editor, African American civil rights activist, and politician in Richmond, Virginia, particularly in Richmond's Jackson Ward, which became known as the “Black Wall Street of America.” An African American, as editor of the Richmond Planet, he frequently published articles in favor of racial equality. In 1904, he organized a black boycott of the city's segregated trolley system.
He founded and served as president of the Mechanics Savings Bank in the city. He served as a city alderman for two terms, and was active in fraternal and professional organizations. He ran unsuccessfully as a Republican Party candidate for governor in 1921.
Mitchell was born a slave in Richmond, Virginia in 1863, shortly before the end of the American Civil War and of slavery. His mother taught him to read and later he worked as a newsboy while attending school. He then became a carriage boy for James Lyons, a aristocratic lawyer. Lyon's opposed Mitchell's education, but Mitchell's mother persisted, and Mitchell attended the school taught by Rev. A. Binga Jr. In 1876, he entered the Richmond Normal High School, and in 1877 he received a silver medal for being first in his class. In May 1878 he joined the first Baptist Church, and he would be an active member of the church throughout his life, even at one time serving as chairman of the executive board of the Virginia Baptist State Sunday school convention. In 1881, he would create a map to show to his classmates and teacher which attracted the attention to minister to Austria A. M. Riley, who gave him another medal for his efforts. He won yet another medal in an oration contest, and he continued drawing maps. His maps eventually secured him an apprenticeship in the Bureau of Engraving and Printing in Washington, D.C. at the recommendation of John Wesley Cromwell. He started his apprenticeship with encouragement and support from a number of prominent figures, including Blanche Bruce, John A. Logan, and Frederick Douglass.
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