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Arthur Wergs Mitchell and Annie Harris Mitchell

Black and white photograph of Arthur Wergs Mitchell, smiling, leaning on the armrest of an armchair, his left arm wrapped around a seated Annie Harris Michell who holds papers in her hands/tiles/collection/5/5663.xml
Photograph reverse with maker’s information and a mostly torn, illegible, caption reading, “Watch You...‘I’ll work’...Chicago...and go t...upon lear...Oscar Depri...his place...is an acco...Washingto...Conhres...Mitche...Burf”/tiles/collection/2/29491.xml
Black and white photograph of Arthur Wergs Mitchell, smiling, leaning on the armrest of an armchair, his left arm wrapped around a seated Annie Harris Michell who holds papers in her hands
Photograph reverse with maker’s information and a mostly torn, illegible, caption reading, “Watch You...‘I’ll work’...Chicago...and go t...upon lear...Oscar Depri...his place...is an acco...Washingto...Conhres...Mitche...Burf”
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Date

1934-11-08

Maker

International News Photos

Dimensions

6 1/2 x 8 1/2 in. (16.5 x 21.6 cm)

Accession Number

2008.129.001

Credit Line

Collection of the U.S. House of Representatives

Object Details

The first African American elected to Congress as a Democrat, Arthur W. Mitchell served in the House from 1935 to 1943. A strong supporter of President Franklin D. Roosevelt and the New Deal, Mitchell maintained that public-relief policies addressed many of the problems faced by “America’s largest and most neglected minority group,” the Black populace. In his work to improve opportunities for African Americans, he challenged labor unions for agreeing to contracts that excluded Blacks and supported legislation to outlaw the poll tax.

Rights and Reproduction Information

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MITCHELL, Arthur Wergs
MITCHELL, Arthur Wergs

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Office of the Historian: history@mail.house.gov
Office of Art & Archives, Office of the Clerk: art@mail.house.gov, archives@mail.house.gov