View source for Charles Richmond Mitchell

{{Short description|Canadian politician (1872–1942)}}
{{for|persons of a similar name|Charles Mitchell (disambiguation)}}
{{Use Canadian English|date=January 2023}}
{{Infobox officeholder
|name               = Charles Richmond Mitchell
|image              = Charles Richmond Mitchell.jpg
|alt                =
|caption            =
| title=[[List of Alberta official opposition leaders|Leader of the Official Opposition in Alberta]]
| term_start=February 19, 1925
| term_end=March 12, 1926
| predecessor=[[John Robert Boyle]]
| successor=[[John C. Bowen]]
|office1             = Alberta Minister of Health
|term_start1         = April 29, 1920
|term_end1           = August 13, 1921
|predecessor1        = [[Alexander Grant MacKay]]
|successor1          = Richard Gavin Reid
|office2            = Alberta Minister of Municipal Affairs
|term_start2        = April 29, 1920
|term_end2          = August 13, 1921
|predecessor2       = [[Alexander Grant MacKay]]
|successor2         = Richard Gavin Reid
|office3            = Alberta Provincial Treasurer
|term_start3        = November 28, 1913
|term_end3          = August 13, 1921
|predecessor3       = [[Arthur Sifton]]
|successor3         = [[Herbert Greenfield]]
|office4            = Alberta Minister of Public Works
|term_start4        = May 4, 1912
|term_end4          = November 28, 1913
|predecessor4       = Arthur Sifton
|successor4         = [[Charles Stewart (premier)|Charles Stewart]]
|office5            = Alberta Minister of Education
|term_start5        = June 1, 1910
|term_end5          = May 4, 1912
|predecessor5       = [[Alexander Cameron Rutherford]]
|successor5         = [[John Robert Boyle]]
|office6            = Attorney-General of Alberta
|term_start6        = June 1, 1910
|term_end6          = May 4, 1912
|predecessor6       = [[Charles Wilson Cross]]
|successor6         = Charles Wilson Cross
|office7            = Member of the [[Legislative Assembly of Alberta]]
|term_start7        = June 12, 1913
|term_end7          = March 18, 1926
|predecessor7       = [[George Lane (politician)|George Lane]]
|successor7         = [[Joseph Tweed Shaw]]
|constituency7      = [[Bow Valley (provincial electoral district)|Bow Valley]]
|term_start8        = June 29, 1910
|term_end8          = April 17, 1913
|predecessor8       = [[William Thomas Finlay]]
|successor8         = [[Nelson Spencer]]
|constituency8      = [[Medicine Hat (provincial electoral district)|Medicine Hat]]
|birth_date         = November 20, 1872
|birth_place        = [[Newcastle, New Brunswick|Newcastle]], [[New Brunswick]], Canada
|death_date         = August 16, 1942 (aged 69)
|death_place        = [[Edmonton]], [[Alberta]], Canada
|party              = [[Alberta Liberal Party|Liberal]]
|spouse             =
|relations          = [[Peter Mitchell (politician)|Peter Mitchell]] (uncle)
|children           =
|alma_mater         = [[University of New Brunswick]]<br />[[University of King's College|King's College]]
|profession         = Lawyer
|religion           =
}}
'''Charles Richmond Mitchell''' (November 30, 1872 – August 16, 1942) was a [[Canadians|Canadian]] lawyer, judge, cabinet minister and former [[Leader of the Opposition (Alberta)|Leader of the Official Opposition]] in the [[Legislative Assembly of Alberta]].

==Early life==
Mitchell was born in [[Newcastle, New Brunswick|Newcastle]], [[New Brunswick]]. At the time, the Mitchells were a prominent local family: Mitchell's father was the Sheriff of [[Northumberland County, New Brunswick|Northumberland County]] and his uncle was [[Peter Mitchell (politician)|Peter Mitchell]], a [[Senate of Canada|senator]] and later [[Premier of New Brunswick]].

He went to the [[University of New Brunswick]] and [[University of King's College|King's College]] and took the New Brunswick bar exam in 1897. The next year he moved to [[Medicine Hat]], at that time in the [[Northwest Territories]], and opened a thriving legal practice. He was appointed as a Judge in 1907 for the Calgary District Court.

==Cabinet minister==
{{More citations needed section|date=September 2022}}
A [[Alberta Liberal Party|Liberal]] politician, Mitchell was first elected as a [[Member of the Legislative Assembly]] in a by-election in [[Medicine Hat (provincial electoral district)|Medicine Hat]] provincial electoral district on June 29, 1910, after [[Premier of Alberta|Premier]] [[Arthur Sifton|Arthur L.W. Sifton]] appointed him to the cabinet on June 1.

Mitchell held two cabinet portfolios as the Minister of Education and the Attorney General of the province. He would serve both portfolios for 2 years until he became Minister of Public Works on May 4, 1912, and dropped the others. In the [[1913 Alberta general election]] Mitchell lost his seat to [[Nelson Spencer]] from the [[Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta|Conservative Party]]. Mitchell was the only Cabinet minister defeated that election, but his was one of a few high-profile defeats across the province.

After his defeat in the 1913 general election, [[George Lane (politician)|George Lane]], the MLA for [[Bow Valley (provincial electoral district)|Bow Valley]], resigned to provide a seat for Minister Mitchell. On June 12, 1913, he was acclaimed and again rejoined the government. He would serve Bow Valley as its MLA until his resignation in 1926.

Mitchell was reappointed to the Sifton Cabinet as the provincial Treasurer on November 28, 1913. He became the first Treasurer in Alberta history not to serve simultaneously as premier. He held that position until the [[United Farmers of Alberta]] defeated the government in [[1921 Alberta general election|1921]].

On April 29, 1920, Mitchell was appointed to be Minister of Municipal Affairs, in addition to being the Treasurer.

==Defeat of government==
Mitchell was one of the few Liberal Party members to survive the defeat of the government in 1921. After [[John Robert Boyle]] resigned to take a judicial position on October 27, 1924, Mitchell became the fifth leader of the [[Liberal Party of Alberta]]. He would serve as Leader of the Official Opposition until he was appointed in 1926 as a Justice to the [[Court of Appeal of Alberta|Supreme Court of Alberta Appellate Division]], when he vacated his seat and position as Liberal leader. He resigned not long before the [[1926 Alberta general election|1926 provincial election]], which the UFA won with an increased majority.

He retired from the judiciary in 1936.

==Death==
Mitchell died in 1942 in [[Edmonton]], Alberta.

==Electoral record==
===1910 by-election===
{{Alberta provincial by-election, June 29, 1910/Medicine Hat}}

===1913 general election===
{{Alberta provincial election, 1913/Medicine Hat}}
{{Alberta provincial by-election, June 12, 1913/Bow Valley}}
{{Alberta provincial election, 1917/Bow Valley}}
{{Alberta provincial election, 1921/Bow Valley}}

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

==References==
* {{cite book |last=Mittelstadt |first=David |title=Foundations of justice: Alberta's historic courthouses |publisher=[[University of Calgary Press]] |location=[[Calgary]] |year=2005 |isbn=1-55238-123-4}}

{{ABLOpp}}

{{Alberta Liberal Party}}

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mitchell, Charles R.}}
[[Category:1872 births]]
[[Category:1942 deaths]]
[[Category:Calgary city councillors]]
[[Category:Judges in Alberta]]
[[Category:Lawyers in Alberta]]
[[Category:Leaders of the Alberta Liberal Party]]
[[Category:People from Medicine Hat]]
[[Category:People from Miramichi, New Brunswick]]
[[Category:University of New Brunswick alumni]]
[[Category:Members of the Executive Council of Alberta]]
[[Category:University of New Brunswick Faculty of Law alumni]]
[[Category:Alberta Liberal Party MLAs]]
[[Category:20th-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta]]