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examined, as he had heard a report that Banks was beaten to death. When he went to the mortuary where the body was at the
University of Virginia, Charlottesville, he was locked in the mortuary and had to escape and hurry back to Richmond to make an appointment in the courts the next morning. The officer was not convicted or punished.
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He died at his desk in
December 1929. He is buried at Evergreen Cemetery in Richmond, VA. The grave at Evergreen Cemetery is marked, and reads: "Editor, Banker, Alderman And Pioneer Of Civil Rights A Man Who Would Walk Into The Jaws Of Death To Serve His Race" The marker goes on to quote Isaiah 55:4:
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Another early case
Mitchell reported was the murder of a black man named Banks by a white officer named Priddy. Mitchell declared the officer guilty of murder and was summoned to the grand jury. He was indicted for making such a charge, but the case was dropped. He sought to have the body exhumed and
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Mitchell himself was threatened with hanging at the hands of a
Charlotte County mob angered by his reporting of the lynching, there, of Richard Walker in May 1886. Mitchell was sent a rope with a note attached warning him that he would be lynched himself if he ever set foot in the county. In reply,
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and in 1877 he received a silver medal for being first in his class. In May 1878, he joined the first
Baptist Church and became an active member throughout his life, even serving as chairman of the executive board of the Virginia Baptist State Sunday school convention. In 1881, he created a map for
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by blacks of the system. As
Mitchell gleefully covered in his article: "Street Car Trap", on the first day of the new system, only whites were arrested for refusing to change their seats; some could not be bothered to observe the new rules or had not realized the change was happening. The electric
310:, Mitchell appealed on the behalf of the widow of Solomon Marable for the return of his body after his execution and partial dissection by students at the Medical College of Virginia. The body had been legally seized by the College's janitor, Chris Baker. Mitchell investigated the case for the
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documentary film on the history and legacy of lynching (2017) includes a scene in
Charlotte County, Virginia, with Kimberly Wilson, a descendant of John Mitchell Jr. Wilson recounts the story of Mitchell traveling to Charlotte County to document a lynching despite receiving death
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his classmates and teacher which attracted the attention of minister to
Austria A. M. Riley, who gave him a medal for his efforts. He won yet another medal in an oration contest and he continued drawing maps. His maps eventually secured him an apprenticeship in the
131:. An impressive building was constructed for the Bank on Clay Street and newspaper ads featured Mitchell Jr. He also served as a city alderman for two terms, and was active in fraternal and professional organizations. He ran unsuccessfully as a
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337:, a black fraternal organization, both locally and on the state level, where he led it into the 1920s. He was also president of the National Afro-American Press Association. Mitchell was the founder and president of the
264:, Mitchell had this to say: 'There are no terrors, Cassius, in your threats, for I am so strong in honesty that they pass by me like the idle wind, which I respect not.' Then, armed with two
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Brooks, Vince. Chris Baker: "Cheerful Among
Corpses", The UncommonWealth: Voices from the Library of Virginia @ the Library of Virginia, October 27, 2010. Retrieved December 02, 2020 at
159:, an aristocratic lawyer. Lyons opposed Mitchell's education, but Mitchell's mother persisted, and Mitchell attended the school taught by Rev. A. Binga Jr. In 1876, he entered the
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415:, a museum and educational center exclusively concerned with Richmond's history, exhibits a woodcut portrait of Mitchell with an informational plaque about his life.
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In 1892 and 1894, Mitchell was elected to a seat as a
Richmond city alderman from Jackson Ward. It was another facet of his widespread connections in the community.
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gained its well-deserved reputation as a proponent of racial equality and of rights for the African-American community." He was also a teacher in the local schools.
380:) Republican Party ticket (an all African American party offshoot). His campaign was considered controversial and opposed by some Black newspapers, such as the
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In 1904, Richmond passed a new law to enforce segregated seating areas on its trolleys. In protest, Mitchell helped organize mass meetings and a
124:, he frequently published articles in favor of racial equality. In 1904, he organized a black boycott of the city's segregated trolley system.
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and of slavery. His mother taught him to read and later he worked as a newsboy while attending school. He then became a carriage boy for
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Simmons, William J., and Henry McNeal Turner. Men of Mark: Eminent, Progressive and Rising. GM Rewell & Company, 1887. p314-320
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in Richmond. It was part of the rise of black-owned businesses in the city. Among the bank's board of directors was photographer
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candidate who won the office. Mitchell finished third behind the Democrat and the "Lily White" Republican candidate.
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Mechanics Savings Bank board of directors printed in 1902. Mitchell is fourth from the left in the front row.
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Man and Barrel, Richmond Planet (Richmond, Virginia) August 1, 1896, page 1. Retrieved November 16, 2016 at
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trolley system had been created in 1888. Suffering the loss of black business, but refusing to give up its
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530:, Virginia Newspaper Project, Library of Virginia, 1996, Library of Virginia. Retrieved February 5, 2013
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110:(July 11, 1863 – December 3, 1929) was an American businessman, newspaper editor, African American
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Knights of Pythias of North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia
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487:, Virginia Newspaper Project, Library of Virginia, 1996. Retrieved February 5, 2013
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and undeterred, walked the five miles from the station to the site of the hanging.
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Solomon Marable's body was found packed into a barrel of salt for preservation.
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had an extensive exhibit about John Mitchell Jr. and his contributions to the
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Image of Mitchell printed in a profile of the Mechanics Savings Bank in 1902.
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activist, and politician in Richmond, Virginia, particularly in Richmond's
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A photograph from 1978 of 515 North Third St., Mitchell Jr.'s home in 1884
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Race Man: The Rise and Fall of the "Fighting Editor," John Mitchell Jr
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and included grisly sketches by Mitchell of the events on its pages.
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Mitchell was gregarious and active; he became a leader of the
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In 1883 and 1884, he served as Richmond correspondent of the
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Mitchell reported fearlessly and campaigned against racist
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policy, the trolley company went into receivership.
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Rev J. H. Holmes pleads for body of Solomon Marable.
607:"Mechanics Savings Bank" (with image of Mitchell)
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687:Library of Virginia: John Mitchell Jr. and the
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306:In 1896, together with local clergy including
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524:"John Mitchell Jr. and the 'Richmond Planet'"
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277:Maurice Duke and Daniel P. Jordan, eds.,
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127:He founded and served as president of
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166:Bureau of Engraving and Printing
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161:Richmond Normal High School
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567:"Lynch Law Must Go!"
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708:Categories
696:An Outrage
645:, May 2004
456:References
449:Rosa Parks
270:Smithville
100:Republican
53:1863-07-11
565:Cited at
700:threats.
551:April 1,
420:See also
365:Politics
359:Jim Crow
275:—
241:Jim Crow
233:lynching
354:boycott
247:. Like
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347:Planet
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188:Career
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
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