George P. Mitchell

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George Phydias Mitchell (born 1920) is an American businessman and real estate developer from Texas. He was born to Greek immigrant parents in the port city of Galveston, Texas. Mitchell earned a petroleum engineering degree from Texas A&M University with an emphasis in geology. He started an independent oil and gas company, Mitchell Energy & Development, that he sold to Devon Energy in 2001 for $3.5 billion. He was the original developer of The Woodlands, an unincorporated community in Montgomery County, Texas, which he developed from timberland located 30 miles north of Houston. He brought on the esteemed landscape architect Ian McHarg to consult on the project which resulted in many unique design features in the original plans. He and his wife Cynthia have played a major role in the revitalization of his hometown of Galveston. The tennis center at Texas A&M University was named in his honor. Built for an estimated $4.2 million, the official ribbon cutting ceremony was held on October 23, 1998.