John Mitchell (21)

John Mitchell (13 April 1711–29 February 1768) was a physician, naturalist, and cartographer and a member of the American Philosophical Society, elected in 1744. Born in Lancaster, Virginia, and educated in Edinburgh, he established a medical practice in Virginia in 1738. As a naturalist, Mitchell was active in collecting and classifying flora and fauna from North America and corresponded with other scientists including APS members John Bartram, John Clayton, Cadwallader Colden, and Benjamin Franklin. After returning to England in 1746 for health reasons, Mitchell continued to practice botany and in 1759 assisted the Prince of Wales in laying out the gardens at Kew Palace. Though disinclined to publish, Mitchell devoted time to sharing his medical and naturalist observations and theories to a circle of correspondents. Later in life he developed cartographic skills to better serve British claims in North America. In 1755 he published a well-received and widely-used map of North America, A Map of the British and French Dominions in North America. The map informed discussions about competing imperial land claims during the French and Indian War and was later used during negotiations for the Treaty of Paris, the agreement that officially ended the American Revolution. (PI, ANB, DNB)