James Mitchell (Australian politician)

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Sir James Mitchell GCMG (27 April 1866 – 26 July 1951) was Premier of Western Australia from 17 May 1919 to 15 April 1924, and again from 24 April 1930 to 24 April 1933.

Mitchell the eldest of thirteen children and was educated at Bunbury, Western Australia and in 1885 joined the Western Australian Bank. He later was a farmer.

In 1906, the premier Newton Moore made Mitchell honorary minister, agricultural expansion. In 1909 he was promoted, being given the ministership of lands and agriculture. He recruited William Lowrie as director of agriculture.

On the 17 May 1919 the premier, Hal Colebatch, resigned and Michell became premier. Mitchell won the 1921 election and remained premier until 1924.

As a result of financial difficulties during the great depression, Tasmania had appointed a lieutenant governor in the 1930s. With the approval of all major political parties, in July 1933 Mitchell was appointed Leiutenant Governor, and although he resided in Government House, he drew no salary. In this role, he was effectively the governor of the state. He held the Lieutenant-Governor position until he was finally appointed Governor of Western Australia in 1948. He retired as Governor in June 1951, and died only a month later.

Mitchell was the first Australian-born governor of Western Australia, and he remains the only person to serve as both premier and governor of the state.

[edit] Reference

• G. C. Bolton, 'Mitchell, Sir James (1866 - 1951)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 10, MUP, 1986, pp 530-532.

Political offices
Preceded by Sir Hal Colebatch	Premier of Western Australia 1919–1924	Succeeded by Philip Collier
Preceded by Philip Collier	Premier of Western Australia 1930–1933	Succeeded by Philip Collier
Government offices
Preceded by Colonel Sir William Campion	Governor of Western Australia 1948–1951	Succeeded by Lieutenant-General Sir Charles Gairdner

Premiers of Western Australia
Forrest | Throssell | Leake | Morgans | James | Daglish | Rason | Moore | Wilson | Scaddan | Lefroy | Colebatch | Mitchell | Collier | Willcock | Wise | McLarty | Hawke | Brand | Tonkin | C. Court | O'Connor | Burke | Dowding | Lawrence | R. Court | Gallop | Carpenter