Date of Birth: 15/06/1792
Place of Birth: Craigend, Scotland
Date of Death: 05/10/1855
Place of Death: Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Parliamentary Service
| Member of the NSW Legislative Council |
01 Apr 1844 |
31 Aug 1844 |
5 months |
An Elective Member of the first Legislative Council 1843 - 1856 for the District of Port Phillip |
| Surveyor-General |
27 May 1828 |
05 Oct 1855 |
27 years 4 months 9 days |
|
Qualifications, occupations and interests
Surveyor General. Educated to read widely in several languages and be proficient on several sciences. In 1827 became assistant surveyor general of New South Wales. In 1828 became surveyor general and in 1830 assumed sole responsibility for the Survey Department. Undertook numerous exploration expeditions for the purposes of surveying. Subject of a Royal Commission on 4 July 1855 into the Surveying Department. Before the report from the Commission was published, Mitchell contracted a a chill whilst surveying country between Nelligen and Braidwood. He developed pneumonia and died at his home in Sydney on 5th October 1855.
Military Service
In 1811 he was gazetted a second lieutenant in the 95th Regiment and in the peninsular war served at the battles of Ciudad, Rodrigo, Badajoz and Salamanca.
Honours Received
Awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Civil Law from Oxford University in 1839. Knighted in 1839.
Membership of other Parliaments & Offices Held
Local Government Activity
Personal
Son of John Mitchell and his wife Janet Wilson. Married Mary Blunt, daughter of General Richard Blunt in June 1818 and had issue, 12 children.
Additional Information
Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 2
