John Templeton Mitchell (1854–1914) was born in Scotland in 1854[1] and emigrated to the USA in 1875, where he settled in Chicago where he found employment as a bank clerk[2] and became a naturalised American citizen. He became interested in duplicate whist at the age of 34, in 1888, when he read of a duplicate match in his native Glasgow and was instrumental in the formation of the Chicago Duplicate Whist Club.[3] His name is synonymous with the Mitchell Movement used in many bridge clubs today.
Mitchell became known as the "Father of Duplicate Whist"[4] because of the movements of boards and players he designed for tournaments, a design included in his 1891 book on Duplicate Whist.[5] This relatively simple movement was refined in discussion with others during that decade in an attempt to truly compare skill at cards rather than pure chance.[6] His contemporary, E C Howell, developed a different system of movements for pairs in 1897.[7]
J T Mitchell contributed to the original Whist Reference Book,[8] and much to discussions on tactics of the game,[9] and the Laws of Whist.[10] Mitchell was elected to the post of Treasurer of the American Whist League, at that time representing Chicago, Illinois.[11]
Some books written by Mitchell have been republished in recent years[12]
Wherein Information Is Presented Concerning the Noble Game, in All Its Aspects, After the Manner of a Cyclopedia, Dictionary, and Digest All Combined in One (1898?) by William Mill Butler republished Hansebooks 2017 and Forgotten Books 2015 (Hardback) and 2018 (Paperback)
