Biography of Robert Byington Mitchell



Excerpted from "Collections of the Kansas State Historical Society, 1911-1912", Edited by Geo.

W. Martin, Secretary. 

Vol XII., State Printing Office, Topeka, Kansas 1912.



submitted by Teresa Lindquist (merope@radix.net); (copyright) 2001 by Teresa Lindquist

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ROBERT BYINGTON MITCHELL enlisted with the Ohio Volunteers for the Mexican war,

serving as first lieutenant of the Second infantry from September 4, 1847, to July 26, 1848, when

he was honorably mustered out. He returned to Ohio and resumed the practice of law until 1856,

when he moved to Kansas, settling at Paris, Linn county, in 1857. Mitchell served this state in

many capacities. He was a delegate to the Leavenworth constitutional convention, elected March

25, 1858; likewise a member of the free-state convention held at Topeka, April 28-29, 1858. He

was appointed territorial treasurer February 11, 1859, serving until February, 1861, and was the

first adjutant general of the state, holding that office from May 2 to June 30, 1861. He also served

as president. of the territorial relief convention, held at Lawrence in November, 1860.



At the time of the Marais des Cygnes massacre, May 19, 1858, Mr. Mitchell organized a posse of

men, among them James Montgomery, and followed the notorious Hamelton and his gang into

Missouri. Unfortunately these outlaws escaped the pursuing party. After serving as governor of

New Mexico Governor Mitchell returned to Kansas, and lived at Paola, Miami county, for a time.

From there he was sent as a delegate to the Liberal Republican convention held at Topeka in

1872, where he received the nomination of that body to Congress. Later he went to Washington,

D. C., where he died.



George A, Crawford, in a letter to Col. Sam Stambaugh, of Pennsylvania, dated Leavenworth,

May 29, 1862, says of Mitchell: "Of all our soldiers he is my model.  Of all our citizens he is my

friend of friends. Take him to your heart."



[included in the article "Paris, Linn County", page 431]