George J. Mitchell
- For other persons with a similar name, see George Mitchell.
| George J. Mitchell, Jr. | |
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 22, 2009 |
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| President | Barack Obama |
| Preceded by | Post created |
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| In office May 17, 1980 – January 3, 1995 |
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| Preceded by | Edmund Muskie |
| Succeeded by | Olympia Snowe |
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17th United States Senate Majority Leader
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| In office January 3, 1989 – January 3, 1995 |
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| Deputy | Alan Cranston (1989-1991) Wendell H. Ford (1991-1995) |
| Preceded by | Robert Byrd |
| Succeeded by | Bob Dole |
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| In office 1987–1988 |
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| President | John C. Stennis |
| Leader | Robert Byrd |
| Preceded by | Hubert Humphrey (1978) |
| Succeeded by | Vacant |
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United States Special Envoy for Northern Ireland
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| In office 1995–2000 |
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| President | Bill Clinton |
| Preceded by | (post created) |
| Succeeded by | Richard N. Haass |
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Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Maine
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| In office 1979–1980 |
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| Nominated by | Jimmy Carter |
| Preceded by | (new seat) |
| Succeeded by | Conrad Keefe Cyr |
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| Born | August 20, 1933 Waterville, Maine |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Alma mater | Bowdoin College Georgetown University Law Center |
| Profession | Lawyer |
| Religion | Roman Catholic (Maronite Rite)[1] |
| Military service | |
| Service/branch | United States Army Counterintelligence Corps |
| Years of service | 1954-1956 |
| Rank |  First Lieutenant |
George John Mitchell, Jr., (born August 20, 1933) is the U.S. Special Envoy for Middle East Peace during the Obama administration. A Democrat, Mitchell was a United States Senator who served as the Senate Majority Leader from 1989 to 1995. He was chairman of The Walt Disney Company from March 2004 until January 2007, and was chairman of the international law firm DLA Piper at the time of his appointment as special envoy. He was the Chancellor of Queen's University in Belfast, Northern Ireland and was the main investigator in both Mitchell Reports.
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Early life
Origins
Mitchell was born in Waterville, Maine. His father, George John Mitchell, Sr. (born Joseph Kilroy),[2] was of ethnic Irish descent but was adopted by a Lebanese family since he was orphaned;[3] he was a janitor at Colby College in Waterville, where Mitchell was raised. Mitchell's mother, Mary (née Saad), was a textile worker who emigrated to the United States in 1920 from Bkassine, Lebanon at the age of eighteen. Because of his origin, Mitchell is recognized as a prominent Arab-American.[4]
Mitchell was raised a Maronite Catholic and in his childhood served as an altar boy at St. Joseph's Maronite Church in Maine.[2][5] Throughout junior high school and high school, Mitchell worked as a janitor.[6] In a family of five children, all three of Mitchell's brothers were athletes and though a talented student, he found himself overshadowed by his brothers' athletic achievements as a child.[7]
Education and Army Tenure
After having graduated from high school at the age of sixteen,[7] Mitchell attended Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine where he worked several jobs and played on the basketball team.[3] He graduated in 1954, intending to attend graduate school and then teach but instead served in the United States Army from 1954 to 1956, rising to First Lieutenant. In 1961, Mitchell received his law degree from Georgetown University Law Center by attending their part time program at night. He has since received an honorary LL.D. from Bates College.
Political career
Early legal career
After having performed well academically at Georgetown, Mitchell served as a trial attorney for the Antitrust Division of the United States Department of Justice in Washington, from 1960 to 1962, and then as executive assistant to Senator Edmund S. Muskie from 1962 to 1965, where he first gained interest in the political world.[6] Afterwards, Mitchell practiced law in Portland, Maine, from 1965 to 1977 and was assistant county attorney for Cumberland County, Maine in 1971.
From Judge to Senator
In 1974 he won the Democratic nomination for governor of Maine, defeating Joseph Brennan. Mitchell lost in the general election to independent candidate James B. Longley, but was appointed United States Attorney for Maine by President Jimmy Carter in 1977. Mitchell served in that capacity from 1977 to 1979 when he was appointed to the United States District Court for the District of Maine. Mitchell served as a federal judge until he was appointed to the United States Senate in May 1980 by the governor of Maine, Joseph Brennan, when Edmund Muskie resigned to become U.S. Secretary of State.
After having served out the remainder of Muskie's term, Mitchell was elected to his first full term in 1982 with approximately 61% of the vote against Congressman David Emery and rose quickly in the Senate Democratic leadership. He was elected as the chair of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee in 1984 helping the Democrats regain control of the Senate from in 1986 with a net eight new seats and a 55-to-45 majority in the Senate. He served as Deputy President pro tempore in 1987–1988, because of the illness of President pro tempore John C. Stennis and remains the only Senator other than Hubert Humphrey to have held that post.
In 1988 Mitchell was reelected with 81% of the vote, the largest margin of victory in a Senate election that year and the largest majority ever for a Senator from Maine.
Senate Majority Leader
After an impressive performance facing Oliver North at the Iran-Contra affair hearings, he was elected as Senate Majority Leader in 1988. He then served in this role from 1989 to 1995. Among his accomplishments in this role, Mitchell led the movement to reauthorize the Clean Air Act in 1990 and pass the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Additionally, under his leadership, the Senate approved of the North American Free Trade Agreement and the formation of the World Trade Organization.
In 1994, he turned down an appointment by President Bill Clinton to the United States Supreme Court,[8] to replace the retiring Harry A. Blackmun so that he could continue helping with efforts in the Senate to pass significant health care legislation. The seat ultimately went to Stephen Breyer. Nevertheless, congress was not able to pass any significant health care legislation at the time and Mitchell did not run for reelection in 1994.
After the Senate
In the business world, he has served as a director of the Walt Disney Company, Federal Express Corporation, Xerox Corporation, Unilever, Staples, Inc., Starwood Hotels and Resorts and the Boston Red Sox baseball team. After leaving the Senate, Mitchell joined the Washington, D.C. law firm Verner, Liipfert, Bernhard, McPherson and Hand; he later became the firm's chairman. He was criticized for lobbying on behalf of the firm's Big Tobacco clients.[9][10] He is also senior counsel to Preti, Flaherty, Beliveau, Pachios, Orlick & Haley in Portland, Maine. He is Partner and Chairman of the Global Board of DLA Piper, US LLP, a global law firm.
Democratic politics
Mitchell was reportedly among those considered by Al Gore as a running mate for his 2000 presidential run. Gore, however, ultimately selected Joe Lieberman.[11] Had Mitchell been nominated and the Democratic ticket won that year, he would have been the first Arab American to serve as the Vice President of the United States and just the second Vice President from Maine after Hannibal Hamlin. He also has been mentioned in both 2000 and in 2004 as a potential Secretary of State for a Democratic administration, due to his role as Senate Leader and the Good Friday agreements.
Education
Since 2002, Mitchell has been a Senior Fellow and Senior Research Scholar at the Columbia University's Center for International Conflict Resolution, where he works to help end or avert conflicts between nations. He was the Chancellor of the Queen's University of Belfast, Northern Ireland until his resignation in April 2009, and namesake of the George J. Mitchell Scholarship, which sponsors graduate study for twelve Americans each year in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. He is the founder of the Mitchell Institute, in Portland, Maine, whose mission is to increase the likelihood that young people from every community in Maine will aspire to, pursue and achieve a college education.[12] In 2007, he became a visiting Professor in Leeds Metropolitan University's School of Applied Global Ethics, and the University is developing a new Centre for Peace and Conflict Resolution bearing his name.[13]
Mitchell Report (Arab-Israeli conflict)
Mitchell led an American fact-finding commission initiated under President Bill Clinton in 2000 intended to find solutions for solving the situation between Israel and the Palestinians. Mitchell's report was published in 2001. It stressed the need for Israel to halt the expansion of its settlements in the Palestinian territories and for the Palestinians to prevent violence. Interest in the report was renewed[14] when Mitchell was named Special Envoy for Middle East Peace in 2009.
United Nations
He served as co-chairman (with Newt Gingrich) of the Congressionally mandated Task Force on the United Nations, which released its findings and recommendations on June 15, 2005 after having been formed that January.
World Justice Project
George J. Mitchell serves as an Honorary Co-Chair for the World Justice Project. The World Justice Project works to lead a global, multidisciplinary effort to strengthen the Rule of Law for the development of communities of opportunity and equity.
Northern Ireland peace process
Since 1995, he has been active in the Northern Ireland peace process as the United States Special Envoy for Northern Ireland. Mitchell first led a commission that established the principles on non-violence to which all parties in Northern Ireland had to adhere and subsequently chaired the all-party peace negotiations, which led to the Belfast Peace Agreement signed on Good Friday 1998 (known since as the "Good Friday Agreement"). Mitchell's personal intervention with the parties was crucial to the success of the talks. He was succeeded as special envoy by Richard Haass.
For his involvement in the Northern Ireland peace negotiations, Mitchell was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom[15] (on March 17, 1999) and the Liberty Medal (on July 4, 1998). Mitchell, in accepting the Liberty Medal, stated: "I believe there’s no such thing as a conflict that can’t be ended. They’re created and sustained by human beings. They can be ended by human beings. No matter how ancient the conflict, no matter how hateful, no matter how hurtful, peace can prevail."[16]
Additionally, he was nominated for a Nobel Prize. For his services to the Northern Ireland peace process, in 1999 Mitchell was invested as an Honorary Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire (GBE). As custom dictates, Mitchell cannot call himself "Sir George" as he is not a citizen of the United Kingdom or a Commonwealth of Nations country, and as a United States citizen can not accept a title of nobility.
Chairman of Disney
On March 4, 2004, Disney's board of directors, on which he had served since 1995, named him Michael Eisner's replacement as Chairman of the Board after 43% of the company's shares were voted against Eisner's reelection (35% was the minimum for disposal). Mitchell himself received a 24% negative vote,[17] a fact that led dissident Disney shareholders Roy E. Disney and Stanley Gold to criticize the appointment of Mitchell, whom they saw as Eisner's puppet.
Having already served on the boards of such companies as Xerox, Starwood, Fedex, and Staples, Mitchell assumed his new role at a particularly tumultuous time in the company's history, needing to face such issues as Comcast's hostile takeover attempts and a possible split with Pixar.[18] Mitchell played an important role in the selection of Robert A. Iger as Eisner's successor as CEO in 2005.[19] On June 28, 2006, Disney announced that its board had elected one of its members, John Pepper, Jr., former CEO of Procter & Gamble, to replace Mitchell as chairman effective January 1, 2007.[20]
Baseball's steroids investigation
In 2006, Mitchell was tapped by MLB Commissioner Bud Selig to lead an investigation into the use of performance-enhancing drugs by Major League Baseball players. The investigation largely derived from charges against Barry Bonds, and revelations in the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative (BALCO) trials of Victor Conte and Greg Anderson. Selig has said that revelations brought forth in the 2005 book "Game of Shadows" were, by way of calling attention to the issue, in part responsible for the league's decision to commission an independent investigation. To this day he is known to have held meetings with only two active players, Jason Giambi, who was ordered to meet Mitchell by Commissioner Selig in light of his public admissions on the issue, and one additional player whose name was initially not made public but was later revealed to be Frank Thomas.[21] Mitchell did however hold extensive meetings with several known steroid dealers, club attendants, personal trainers, and others who had ties to all players named in the report. Even though the union that protects the players had pressured all but Giambi and Thomas into maintaining the culture of silence that had helped the drug problem remain a secret, there was plenty of other evidence against those named in his report.
Mitchell released a 409-page report of his findings on December 13, 2007.[22] The report includes the names of 89 former and current players for whom it claims evidence of use of steroids or other prohibited substances exists. This list includes names of Most Valuable Players and All-Stars, such as Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte, Miguel Tejada, Denny Neagle, Paul Lo Duca, David Justice, Barry Bonds, Eric Gagné, Todd Hundley, Randy Velarde, and Benito Santiago.
Mitchell was criticized for having a conflict of interest with the report as he was a director of the Boston Red Sox especially because no prime Red Sox players were named in the report[23], despite the fact that Red Sox stars David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez were later found to have used performance enhancing substances during the 2003 season, as reported by the New York Times on July 30, 2009.[24] Likewise, the report was commissioned by Selig, and no members of the Milwaukee Brewers, whom Selig once owned, appeared in the report. The Los Angeles Times reported that Mitchell acknowledged that his "tight relationship with Major League Baseball left him open to criticism".[25] Mitchell responded to the concerns by stating that readers who examined the report closely "will not find any evidence of bias, of special treatment of the Red Sox".[25]
Special Envoy for Middle East Peace
On January 22, 2009, President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton appointed Mitchell as the administration's Special Envoy to the Arab-Israeli peace process, formally known as the "Special Envoy for Middle East Peace".[26] The appointment was seen as an indication of the new Obama administration's increased focus on the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. The choice of Mitchell allowed Obama to demonstrate the seriousness and sincerity of his intentions regarding the peace process, without forcing him to immediately embark on a specific initiative before conditions were yet ripe. An analyst at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars said Mitchell's appointment "says to the world, 'I care about this issue; be patient with me.'"[26] Abraham Foxman, the National Director of the Anti-Defamation League, has stated that, "Sen. Mitchell is fair. He’s been meticulously even-handed."[27]
Within the first week of his appointment, Mitchell was dispatched to visit Israel, the West Bank, Egypt, Jordan, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia for peace discussions in light of the 2008-09 Gaza War between Israel and the Gaza Strip, in which both sides had recently entered into unilateral ceasefires. Mitchell began his meetings in Cairo on January 27, and Obama said his visit was part of the President's campaign promise to listen to both sides of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict and negotiate a peace deal. However, in a continuation of a George W. Bush administration policy, Mitchell did not plan to talk to Hamas, a group the West has identified as a terrorist organization, but instead focus on talks with the Palestinian National Authority.[28] Mitchell first met with new Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in February 2009[29] and has met with many notable figures of the Middle East since. In 2010 he led the U.S. delegation to the Palestine Investment Conference.[30][31]
Personal life
Mitchell is married with three children. On August 10, 2007, it was reported that Senator Mitchell had been diagnosed with prostate cancer.[32]
Books
- Great American Lighthouses (August 1989)
- World on Fire: Saving an Endangered Earth (January 1991)
- Not For America Alone: The Triumph of Democracy and The Fall of Communism (May 1997)
- Making Peace (April 1999 - 1st Edition, July 2000 - Updated)
See also
- Sigma Nu LEADership learning program
- Bill Clinton Supreme Court candidates
References
- ↑ http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hI-M8gm8ye6v7zKUgtge74ycpbwA
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 http://digilib.bates.edu/gsdl/cgi-bin/library?e=d-01000-00---0muskieor--00-1--0-10-0---0---0prompt-10---4-------0-1l--11-en-50---20-about---01-3-1-00-0011-1-0utfZz-8-00&a=d&c=muskieor&cl=CL1.248&d=HASH0122fb46ad7930c276fbed5e
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Middle East Envoy George Mitchell". Time Magazine. 2009-01-22. http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1873532,00.html. Retrieved 2009-09-21.
- ↑ Diehl, Jackson. "An Old Mission for George Mitchell". The Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/22/AR2009012203303_pf.html. Retrieved 2010-05-03.
- ↑ http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1208/is_n24_v217/ai_15434788/
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 "George Mitchell Interview". Academy of Achievement. http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/page/mit0int-1. Retrieved 2009-09-22.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 "George Mitchell Interview". Academy of Achievement. http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/page/mit0int-1. Retrieved 2009-09-21.
- ↑ "Middle East Envoy George Mitchell". Time. 2009-01-22. http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1873532,00.html. Retrieved 2010-05-03.
- ↑ Weisberg, Jacob (1997-08-10). "Liberal Tobacco Whores". Slate Magazine. http://www.slate.com/id/2281/. Retrieved 2009-01-22.
- ↑ Dowd, Maureen (1998-05-17). "Liberties; Nicotine-Stained Halo". The New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F0DE1DC1E30F934A25756C0A96E958260. Retrieved 2009-01-22.
- ↑ King, John (2000-07-14). "Gore considering naming VP immediately after GOP convention". CNN. http://archives.cnn.com/2000/ALLPOLITICS/stories/07/13/gore.veep/index.html. Retrieved 2009-01-22.
- ↑ The Mitchell Institute Website
- ↑ "Senator George Mitchell Centre for Peace and Conflict Resolution". Leeds Metropolitan University. 2004. http://www.leedsmet.ac.uk/international/754DAC6EAAE94420B396FA6018BB1930.htm. Retrieved 2009-01-22.
- ↑ Obama's New Middle East Envoy, 01/23/2009
- ↑ . "Presidential Medal of Freedom Recipient Senator George J. Mitchell, United States Senate Majority Leader". Medal of Freedom.com. 2007. http://www.medaloffreedom.com/GeorgeMitchell.htm. Retrieved 2009-01-22.
- ↑ 1998 Recipient George Mitchell - Liberty Medal - National Constitution Center
- ↑ Holson, Laura M. (2004-03-10). "Former P. & G. Chief Named Disney Chairman". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2004/03/10/business/market-place-eisner-vote-forces-disney-to-catch-up.html?scp=2&sq=Mitchell%20Eisner&st=cse&pagewanted=1. Retrieved 2009-04-03.
- ↑ Holson, Laura M.; Hulse, Carl (2004-03-05). "Disney's No. 2 Officer to Take Charge in September". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2004/03/05/business/for-a-diplomat-task-is-quelling-disney-s-unrest.html?scp=9&sq=Mitchell%20Disney&st=cse&pagewanted=2. Retrieved 2009-04-03.
- ↑ Holson, Laura M. (2005-03-14). "http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/14/business/media/14disney.html?scp=9&sq=Mitchell%20Disney&st=cse". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/14/business/media/14disney.html?scp=9&sq=Mitchell%20Disney&st=cse. Retrieved 2009-04-03.
- ↑ Holson, Laura M. (2006-06-29). "MARKET PLACE; Eisner Vote Forces Disney To Catch Up". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/29/business/media/29disney.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=Mitchell%20Pepper&st=cse. Retrieved 2009-04-03.
- ↑ Curry, Jack (2007-12-15). "One Player Who Spoke With Mitchell Wonders Why So Few Others Did". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/15/sports/baseball/15talk.html?scp=1&sq=George+Mitchell+THomas&st=nyt. Retrieved 2009-04-03.
- ↑ "Year after Mitchell Report, MLB tries to move on". Yahoo.com. 2008. http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_ylt=AkmfjL.Fcj4.SfSR7AoKVmA5nYcB?slug=ap-mitchellreport&prov=ap&type=lgns. Retrieved 2009-01-22.
- ↑ "Mitchell report: Baseball slow to react to players' steroid use". ESPN.com. December 14, 2007. http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/print?id=3153509&type=story. Retrieved 2007-12-18.
- ↑ Schmidt, Michael S. (2009-07-30). "Ortiz and Ramirez Said to Be on ’03 Doping List". New York Times.
- ↑ 25.0 25.1 Johnson, Greg (December 14, 2007). "Mitchell cites unbiased history". The Los Angeles Times.
- ↑ 26.0 26.1 Landler, Mark (2009-01-21). "Seasoned Negotiator to Serve as a Mideast Envoy". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/22/us/politics/22diplo.html?_r=1&hp. Retrieved 2009-01-22.
- ↑ Besser, James D. (2009-01-21). "Mitchell As Envoy Could Split Center". The Jewish Week. http://www.thejewishweek.com/viewArticle/c37_a14675/News/National.html. Retrieved 2009-02-09.
- ↑ Witte, Griff. "Blast at Gaza Border Kills Israeli Soldier; Palestinian Farmer Killed by Gunfire." The Washington Post, January 28, 2009. Retrieved on 2008-01-28.
- ↑ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/02/26/george-mitchell-netanyahu_n_170115.html
- ↑ Palestinian Development Investment Forum Yields $655 Million. BusinessWeek, June 05, 2010
- ↑ Remarks by Senator George J. Mitchell at Palestine Investment Conference. Consulate General of the United States in Jerusalem, June 3, 2010
- ↑ Quinn, T.J. (2007-08-10). "Mitchell diagnosed with cancer". New York Daily News. http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/2007/08/10/2007-08-10_mitchell_diagnosed_with_cancer.html. Retrieved 2009-01-22.
Further reading
- Gould, Alberta. George Mitchell: In Search of Peace. Farmington, Maine: Heritage Pub., 1996
External links
- George J. Mitchell at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- George J. Mitchell at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
- Interview with George J. Mitchell by Don Nicoll, May 2, 2002 – summary sheet, transcript and audio link at Bates College Digital Library
- U.S. Department of State's page on the Special Envoy for Middle East Peace
| Legal offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by None (new seat) |
Judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of Maine October 5, 1979 - May 16, 1980 |
Succeeded by Conrad Keefe Cyr |
| United States Senate | ||
| Preceded by Ed Muskie (D) |
United States Senator (Class 1) from Maine May 17, 1980 – January 3, 1995 Served alongside: William S. Cohen |
Succeeded by Olympia Snowe (R) |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by Hubert Humphrey (D-Minnesota) |
Deputy President pro tempore of the United States Senate 1987–1988 |
Succeeded by Most recent |
| Preceded by Robert Byrd (D-West Virginia) |
United States Senate Majority Leader January 3, 1989 – January 3, 1995 |
Succeeded by Bob Dole (R-Kansas) |
| Diplomatic posts | ||
| New title | United States Special Envoy for Northern Ireland 1995–1998 |
Succeeded by Richard Haass |
| United States Special Envoy to Middle East January 22, 2009 - present |
Incumbent | |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by Edmund Muskie |
Democratic nominee for United States Senator from Maine (Class 1) 1982, 1988 |
Succeeded by Thomas Andrews |
| Preceded by Lloyd Bentsen Texas |
Chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee 1985–1987 |
Succeeded by John Kerry Massachusetts |
| Preceded by Robert C. Byrd West Virginia |
Senate Democratic Leader 1989–1995 |
Succeeded by Tom Daschle South Dakota |
| Business positions | ||
| Preceded by Michael Eisner |
Disney Chairman 2004–2007 |
Succeeded by John E. Pepper, Jr. |
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| Year | Candidate | Party | Pct | Opponent | Party | Pct | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | George Mitchell (inc.)1 | Democratic | 61% | Dave Emery | Republican | 39% | |
| 1988 | George Mitchell (inc.) | Democratic | 81% | Jasper Wyman | Republican | 19% | |
1 Previously appointed to the office by then-Governor Joe Brennan in 1980 following the resignation of Ed Muskie to become Secretary of State