Preceded by Benjamin L. Cardin Role Politician Name R. Mitchell, | Political party Democratic Party Democratic Party | |
Constituency Caroline, Cecil, Kent, Queen Anne\'s, and Talbot Counties, Maryland Born April 16, 1936 (age 87)
Chestertown, Maryland ( 1936-04-16 ) | ||
Succeeded by Casper R. Taylor, Jr. | ||
R. Clayton 'Clay' Mitchell Jr. (born April 16, 1936) is a former American politician and the former Speaker of the Maryland House of Delegates in the United States.
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Background
Mitchell was born in Chestertown on Maryland's eastern shore in 1936. He served in the United States Army before entering public service in the 1966 elections.
Political career
In the 1966 elections, Mitchell won a seat on the Kent County Commission. Four years later, he won election to the Maryland House of Delegates representing District 36, which spreads across the northern eastern shore between the Delaware state line and the Chesapeake Bay. He became chair of the eastern shore delegation in 1974, and a decade later took over as chairman of the powerful Appropriations Committee. In 1987, after the election of the previous Speaker of the Maryland House of Delegates, Benjamin L. Cardin, to Congress, Mitchell was elected by his colleagues to serve as Speaker. He held the position until his retirement in 1992.
Retirement
Since retiring from the House of Delegates, Mitchell has continued to be actively involved in his community. He has chaired both the Save our skipjacks Task Force and the Maryland Commission for Celebration 2000. In addition, he is a Director of the Second National Bank of Maryland and a member of the Board of Visitors and Governors of Washington College.