Frank Mitchell

Frank Mitchell was born on July 18, 1949, in Detroit, Michigan, to Frank Weldon, a Detroit water department employee, and Norma Bush Mitchell, a hospital aide. He was raised by his aunt and uncle, Doris and Henry Van Buren, in Springfield, Illinois, where he attended Iles Elementary School and George Washington Junior High School before enrolling in Feithans High School. While a sophomore, Mitchell, along with four other students from his high school, was selected as a candidate to become the first African-American Page to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives in the 20th century. With the consent of then-Minority Leader Gerald Ford of Michigan, Congressman Paul Findley of Illinois ultimately chose Mitchell for the historic assignment.

Occurring just weeks after state troopers savagely beat peaceful protestors marching for voting rights, in Selma, Alabama, Mitchell’s appointment received national attention and press coverage. Fifteen-year-old Mitchell began his term on April 14, 1965—the centennial of the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. As a phone Page, Mitchell answered calls in the Republican Cloakroom and took messages for Members, while witnessing many historic moments in the civil rights movement, including the floor debates for the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

After serving as a Page, Mitchell returned to high school in Springfield, Illinois, where he was student council president his senior year. Upon graduation he attended several postsecondary schools, including Western Illinois University, Springfield College (Illinois), and Lincoln Land Community College. From 1970 to 1972, Mitchell worked at the Illinois State Register (Springfield), starting in the newsroom and eventually becoming a reporter. He then took a job at WCCO-TV (Minneapolis, Minnesota), where he worked as a broadcaster and weekend anchor until 1977. Mitchell also worked for BET, INN cable news, and the Omaha Star.

Later employed as a writer and an editor for Northwestern Bell/US West, as deputy director of communication for the Illinois attorney general’s office, and as a media relations manager for Ameritech, Mitchell also started his own public relations firm and served as the executive director for Illinois Fatherhood Initiative, a nonprofit organization. Currently a resident of Springfield, Illinois, Mitchell owns and directs a media consulting firm.