Mr.
Mitchell graduated from Denison High School
June 5, 1896. At the
outbreak of the Spanish-American War in
1898, he was on of the first
men to enlist. Since he was already an
exper5 sharp shooter and
rifle shot, he was appointed as 3rd Sergeant
of Co. K, 3rd Regiment,
Texas Volunteers; this regiment was
stationed at Ft. Clark, Texas, Bay
St. Louis, Mississippi, and Ft. Morgan,
Alabama; however, this company
did not see any actual service.
Shortly
after returning from the war, he moved to
Los Angeles, California in
January 1899. The oil boom struck in
Bakersfield, California in
1902; Mr. Mitchell disposed of his Los
Angeles real estate business and
re-located in Bakersfield where he
maintained a brockerage firm that
dealt in oil stocks, land, and bonds for a
year. With a lull in
the business at Bakersfield, he returned to
Los Angeles in 1903 where
he re-opened his offices to resume his
former real estate business,
which he operated for the next six years.
In 1909 Mr. Mitchell
re-entered the oil business as an oil
broker, dealing in oil ands and
leases. One year later in 1910, his
business efforts were so
successful that he organized the Midway King
Pin Oil Co. of which he
was Secretary. That same year he also
organized the J. Burris
Mitchell Co., which dealt in oil lands,
leases, stocks and bonds; he
held the position of President of this
company.
He was a member of the Los Angeles
Athletic Club, Chamber of Commerce of Los
Angeles, and Chamber of Mines and Oil.
Notables
of the Southwest. Los
Angeles, California, Los Angeles Examiner,
1912. pg.266
SOURCE : Who's Who on
the Pacific Coast (1913)
