Parren Mitchell

Parren James Mitchell (April 29, 1922 – May 28, 2007), a Democrat, was a U.S. Congressman who represented the 7 congressional district of Maryland from January 3, 1971 to January 3, 1987. He was the first African-American elected to Congress from Maryland. Mitchell was born in Baltimore, Maryland. His father, Clarence M. Mitchell, Sr., was a waiter and his mother, Elsie Davis Mitchell was a homemaker. Mitchell graduated from Frederick Douglass Se... more

Parren James Mitchell (April 29, 1922 – May 28, 2007), a Democrat, was a U.S. Congressman who represented the 7 congressional district of Maryland from January 3, 1971 to January 3, 1987. He was the first African-American elected to Congress from Maryland. Mitchell was born in Baltimore, Maryland. His father, Clarence M. Mitchell, Sr., was a waiter and his mother, Elsie Davis Mitchell was a homemaker. Mitchell graduated from Frederick Douglass Senior High School (Baltimore, Maryland) in 1940. Mitchell served as an officer in the 92nd Infantry Division during World War II, and was wounded in Italy; he received the Purple Heart. He earned his bachelor's degree from Morgan State University, and his master's degree from the University of Maryland, College Park. Parren Mitchell was the brother of the late Clarence M. Mitchell, Jr., who was head of the NAACP's Washington office and was one of Lyndon Johnson's chief advisors in the civil rights movement. In 1950, Mitchell sued the then... less