Peter Mitchell Biography
Peter Mitchell was a lawyer, businessman,
politician, author, and office holder. He was born in
Newcastle, New Brunswick on January 24th, 1824.
He went to a grammar school and studied law.
Peter left law for a little while and went into
lumbering and ship building. However, he returned
to law and politics as an independent member for
Northumberland in 1850, and in 1861, he was
appointed to the Legislative Council. He went to the
Quebec Conference and strongly supported
Confederation. Although he was defested by the
Anti-Confederate in 1865, he was re-elected in
1866.
Peter Mitchell was known for his stubborn nature.
His long standing feud with Sir Leonard Tilley was
also noted; another Father of Confederation.
When he left politics, he became an editor and
later owner of the Montreal Herald. He spent the
last three years of his life as an inspector of
fisheries for the Maritime Provinces. He was 75
years old when he died on October 25th, 1899.