Donald Mitchell, 80; New York Legislator, GOP Congressman

Donald Mitchell, 80, who represented New York’s Mohawk Valley in Congress from 1972 to 1982, died Saturday in a hospital in Little Falls, N.Y. A lifelong resident of Herkimer, N.Y., Mitchell had Parkinson’s disease.

An optometrist, the Republican congressman was in politics for nearly 30 years, serving at every level of government from local to federal. He was elected a town councilman in 1954 and village mayor from 1957 to 1960, and served in the state Assembly from 1964 through 1972, when he went to Washington. In Congress, Mitchell was best known for his efforts to increase spending for civil defense.

Mitchell is also credited with founding Leatherstocking Country, a nine-county economic development agency, and one of the first regional tourism promotion agencies.

Born in Herkimer, Mitchell served as a U.S. Navy pilot during World War II and was a flight instructor during the Korean War. He attended Hobart College and earned a bachelor’s degree in optometry and a master’s degree in education from Columbia University.