John Mitchell was born on 7 March 1897 in Bradwardine, Manitoba. His family moved to a farm near Marsden, Saskatchewan, in 1910. He entered the University of Saskatchewan in 1915 but interrupted his formal education to join the Canadian Expeditionary Force in 1916. Wounded in France, he returned home and completed his B.S.A. in 1924. He continued his postgraduate work at the University of Wisconsin, receiving an MA. in 1929 and a Ph.D. in 1931. Dr. Mitchell's first appointment at the U of S was as Instructor; by 1934 he was made Full Professor and named Head of the Department of Soil Science. Among his many achievements was his work as Director of the Saskatchewan Soil Survey, during which time the preliminary study and mapping of 40 percent of the cultivated agricultural land in Canada was completed. He also worked with various government and professional committees, including the PFRA, Saskatchewan Royal Commission on Forestry, and the Saskatchewan Land Utilization Board. Dr. Mitchell died suddenly on 21 November 1956 of heart failure.