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James Mitchell (New South Wales politician)

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James Mitchell (1789 or 1792 – 1 February 1869) was a Scottish-born Australian surgeon, businessman and politician.

Personal life

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He was born in Fife to farmer David Mitchell and Margaret Low.[1] He arrived in Sydney on 15 July 1820.[1] He married Augusta Maria Scott on 22 August 1833 and fathered three children.[1] One of them was David Scott Mitchell. On 1 February 1869 he died at his house in Cumberland and received a private funeral at Rockwood Cemetery.[1]

Military career

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In 1810 he joined the Army Medical Corps.[2] With the army he spent nine years travelling around Spain, America, the Netherlands, the West Indies, and Australia.[1] He served in several battles in the Peninsular War, Napoleonic Wars and American War including the Battle of New Orleans.[1] He served in a Military hospital in Brussels during the Battle of Waterloo.[1]

Medical practice

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In 1813 he became a member of the Royal College of Surgeons.[1] He served as Assistant Surgeon of the 48th Regiment, including two visits to Australia.[1] In 1823 he was appointed Assistant Surgeon of the Colonial Medical Staff and sent to work at Sydney Civil Hospital[1] He was in charge of the hospital from 1825 until 1837 and was officially appointed surgeon on 1 January 1829.[2] He was appointed the doctor to look after convicts at the Hyde Park barracks.[2] He only lasted a few weeks due to being suspended for refusal to attend a flogging.[2] A court of inquiry found him guilty of disobedience and his name was removed from the list of colonial surgeons.[2] In 1845 he was elected to the medical board and became the president in 1852.[3]

Property

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Mitchell was granted two lots, both 2,000 acres in Burragorang and Glendon Brook.[1] He owned 1,300 acres of land in Gosford.[1] He owned house of his estate Cumberland Place and in Hutchinson Street Surry Hills.[1] He had land at Hunters Hills and Cooks River.

Business dealings

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In 1833 he became a director of the Bank of Australia until it failed in 1843.[1] In 1843 he was appointed chairman of the Board of the Committee of Works.[1] In 1852 he became a director of the Australian Mutual Provident Society.[1] In 1853 he invested in Hunter River Railway Company.[1] In 1853 he established the Newcastle Coal and Copper Co leasing his property at Burwood.[2] He invested the Commercial Banking Company, the Australian Gas Light Company and the Australasian Stream Navigation.[1] He became a director of the Australian Gas Light Company and appointed deputy chairman of directors for the Sydney Ferry Company.[1]

Political work

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He was a non-elective member of the New South Wales Legislative Council from 1855 to 1856 and a member of the reconstituted body from 1856 to 1861 and from 1861 to 1869, when he died.[4]

Community work

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He was a foundation member of the Australian Club which was formed on 29 May 1838.[1] In 1838 he financed the Newcastle Mechanics Institute.[1] In 1840 he established a school in Sydney on behalf of the Propagation of Christian Knowledge.[1] Between 1853 and 1869 he served a trustee for the Australian Museum.[3] He helped the Royal Exchange raise funds to support immigration.[1] He was a member of the Central Committee of the Australian Immigration Association.[1] He served as commissioner to the justice of peace.[3] He was a benefactor of St Paul's College at the University of Sydney.[3]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x Smith, C E (1966). Dr James Mitchell. Newcastle Public Library.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Guilford, Elizabeth. "Mitchell, James (1792–1869)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. ISBN 978-0-522-84459-7. ISSN 1833-7538. OCLC 70677943. Retrieved 17 March 2021.
  3. ^ a b c d "Dr James Mitchell (1789-1869)". Former members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 17 March 2021.
  4. ^ "Dr James Mitchell (1789-1869)". Former members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 9 June 2019.
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