John Henry Mitchell

For the other Ontario provincial politician named John Mitchell, who was the de facto leader of the Ontario CCF in the 1930s, see John Mitchell (Ontario politician).
Not to be confused with John Henry Michell.
John Henry Mitchell
Member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario
In office
1926–1929
Preceded byWilliam Earl Rowe
James Edgar Jamieson
Succeeded byJames Edgar Jamieson
ConstituencySimcoe Southwest
Personal details
Born1872
Died1945-11-02
PartyOntario Liberal Party

John Henry Mitchell (1872 – November 2, 1945) was a Canadian politician from Alliston, Ontario who held municipal and provincial elected offices over a period spanning three decades.

Political career

A grain and seed merchant, Mitchell served as mayor of the town of Alliston for thirteen years from 1914 to 1926, and again from 1930 to 1934.[1][2]

A Liberal partisan, he was nominated by the Liberal Party to contest 1926 Ontario provincial election in Simcoe Southwest, a newly created electoral district from the merger of Simcoe South and West, seats the Conservative won by 12% and 28% margins respectively. In that election over temperance, the two opposition parties cooperated to varying degrees with the Prohibition Union to put forward a joint "dry" candidate against the "wet" candidates put forward by the governing Conservative. Mitchell campaigned overtly as a "Liberal Prohibitionist" candidate and was supported by local Progressive Party members. In a competitive contest against Conservative candidate James Edgar Jamieson, incumbent for Simcoe West who won the previous contest with a 28-point margin, Mitchell secured a 4-point victory.

Liberal Partisan

In post election reports Mitchell was erroneously labeled by numerous outlets as having campaigned as a Liberal-Progressive candidate.[1] Despite repeated clarifications, the mislabel persisted, possibly perpetuated deliberately by the pro-Conservative Mail & Empire in their push to undermine the leadership of the Progressive Party leader William Raney. In a January 1927 report titled "Cold Shoulder for Hon. Raney", the Mail & Empire made much ado about Mitchell and William Newman, another newly elected member (who did indeed campaigned formally as a Liberal-Progressive), for having switched their allegiances from the Progressive to the Liberals after attending a Progressive Party caucus meeting and intimated that Raney was facing further defections.[3] This prompted an unequivocal press statement from Mitchell stating that, "I have always been a Liberal" and that while he had been supported by many local Progressives, the Progressive Party association in Simcoe held no meeting to formally endorse him or any other candidate.[3] In response to a taunt by Conservative whip William Henry Ireland, Mitchell again firmly restated his Liberal affiliation and commitment to the temperance cause during his maiden speech in the legislature on February 14, 1926.[4]

After serving only one term in the legislature, Mitchell lost a rematch with Jamieson in the 1929 election by a 9-point margin.

Following his electoral defeat, Mitchell returned to serving his local community as mayor of Alliston for a number of years until 1934, when he was appointed the registrar of the Surrogate Court for Simcoe County.[2]

Private life

He was married to Bertha Eliza Greenlees, who predeceased him by about two years. They had one daughter named Vivian (Mrs. Murray Mills). Mitchell died in Alliston on November 2, 1945, at age 74, and is buried at the Alliston Union Cemetery.[5] He remain visible in civic life in his final years, with local reports noting his participation in events in Alliston commemorating the end of World War II as a former mayor just months before his passing.[6]

1926 Ontario general election: Simcoe Southwest
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal John Henry Mitchell 5,779 52.03 +8.40
Conservative James Edgar Jamieson 5,327 47.97 -8.40
Total valid votes 11,106
Rejected and declined 67
Total turnout 11,173 68.41 +5.31
Eligible voters 16,332
Liberal gain Swing +8.40
Vote tallies from: Elections Ontario Data Explorer[7]
Change and swing calculated by adding the vote tallies from the two merged EDs, and with the sum of tallies of all opposition candidate.
Elections Ontario records mislabeled the results for Simcoe South as Simcoe West, and Simcoe West as St Catharines. Correct tallies were extracted and verified against contemporanious press reports.
Elections Ontario records errorneously identify Mitchell as Liberal-Progressive. Mitchell made numerous unequivocal statement confirming his Liberal affiliation early in his term.[8][9]
1929 Ontario general election: Simcoe Southwest
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative James Edgar Jamieson 6,213 54.44 +6.47
Liberal John Henry Mitchell 5,200 45.56 -6.47
Total valid votes 11,413
Rejected and declined 58
Total turnout 11,471 69.56 +1.15
Eligible voters 16,490
Conservative gain Swing +6.47

References

  1. ^ a b "NEW HOUSE REPRESENTS MANY POINTS OF VIEW, Analysis of Thumb-nail Sketches of Members of 17th Legislature Shows Anglicans Leading Religious Denomination-Sixteen Lawyers Elected-Majority Born in the Province". Toronto Daily Star. 1926-12-02. p. 8.
  2. ^ a b "$300 Awarded For Slander: Mayor J. H. Mitchell, Alliston, Wins Action at Barrie". The Globe. 1934-12-13. p. 5.
  3. ^ a b "HE'S NOT A DESERTER WAS ALWAYS LIBERA; Did Not Seek Election to the Legislature as a Fusion Candidate". Toronto Daily Star. 1927-01-14. p. 15.
  4. ^ "Debate dragging in house, budget off until next week, eight new members heard in maiden effort yesterday". Toronto Daily Star. 1927-02-16. p. 4.
  5. ^ "Death Notices". Toronto Daily Star. 1945-11-03. p. 25.
  6. ^ Ballantyne, Jason (2005-05-06). "Joy was tempered by a sense of loss; May 7 parade will end at Royal Canadian Legion". Alliston Herald.
  7. ^ "Data Explorer". Elections Ontario.
  8. ^ "HE'S NOT A DESERTER WAS ALWAYS LIBERA; Did Not Seek Election to the Legislature as a Fusion Candidate". Toronto Daily Star. 1927-01-14. p. 15.
  9. ^ "Debate dragging in house, budget off until next week, eight new members heard in maiden effort yesterday". Toronto Daily Star. 1927-02-16. p. 4.

See also

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