Luncheon Address 2011

U.S. Senator George J. Mitchell
Former U.S. Envoy to the Middle East, Nobel Peace Prize nominee, and Senate Majority Leader

George J. Mitchell served as U. S. Special Envoy for Middle East Peace under the Obama Administration from January 2009 to May 2011, the culmination of his distinquished career in public service.

Mitchell was appointed to the United States Senate in 1980 to complete the un-expired term of Maine Senator, Edmund S. Muskie. Elected to a full term in 1982, Mitchell went on to an illustrious Senate career spanning 15 years. He left  the Senate in 1995 as the Senate Majority Leader, a position he had held since 1989.

He enjoyed bipartisan respect during his tenure. It has been said "there is not a man, woman or child in the Capitol who does not trust George Mitchell." For six consecutive years he was voted "the most respected member" of the Senate.

While in the Senate, he served on the Finance, Veterans Affairs, and Environment and Public Works Committeees. He was instrumental in the successful reauthorization of the Clean Air Act and authored the first national oil spill prevention and clean up law. He led the Senate to passage of the nation’s first child care bill, was principal author of the low-income housing tax credit program, and a major force in the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act, landmark legislation extending civil rights protections to the disabled. Senate Mitchell's efforts led to the passage of a higher education bill that expanded opportunities for millions of Americans. He was a leader in opening markets to trade and led the Senate to ratification of the North American Free Trade Agreement and creation of the World Trade Organization.

In 1995, Mitchell was appointed Special Advisor on Ireland to President Clinton, and from 1996 to 2000 he served as the Independent Chairman of the Northern Ireland Peace Talks. Under his leadership the Good Friday Agreement, an historic accord ending decades of conflict, was agreed to by the governments of Ireland and the United Kingdom and the political parties of Northern Ireland. For his service in Northern Ireland Senator Mitchell received numerous awards and honors, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor given by the U.S. Government; the Philadelphia Liberty Medal; the Truman Institute Peace Prize; and the United Nations (UNESCO) Peace Prize. 

In 2000 and 2001, at the request of President Clinton, Prime Minister Barak, and Chairman Arafat, Senator Mitchell served as Chairman of an International Fact-Finding Committee on violence in the Middle East. The Committee's recommendation, widely known as The Mitchell Report, was endorsed by the Bush Administration, the European Union, and many other governments. 

He led the investigation into the use of performance enhancing drugs in Major League Baseball in 2006 and 2007. He also served as Chairman of the Special Commission Investigating Allegations of Impropriety in the Bidding Process for the Olympic Games; and was the Independent Overseer of the American Red Cross Liberty Fund, which provided relief for September 11 attack victims and their families. 

Mitchell served as Chairman of the Global Board of the international law firm DLA Piper; Chairman of the Board of Directors of The Walt Disney Company; and member of the Board of the Boston Red Sox. For ten years, he was Chancellor of Queen's University of Northern Ireland. 

In 2008, Time Magazine named Senator Mitchell one of the 100 most influential persons in the world. 

Sen. Mitchell received an undergraduate degree from Bowdoin College and a law degree from the Georgetown University Law Center. He was an officer in the U.S. Army Counter-Intelligence Corps, stationed in Berlin, Germany, and a trial lawyer in the Justice Department in Washington D.C. before returning to Maine where he engaged in the private practice of law. He served as U.S. District Judge for Maine before accepting the Senate appointment.

Mitchell is the author of four books: Men of Zeal, with his colleague, Sen. Bill Cohen of Maine, on the Iran-Contra investigation; World on Fire, describing the threat of the greenhouse effect and recommending steps to curb it; Not For America Alone: The Triumph of Democracy and The Fall of Communism; and Making Peace, an account of his experience in Northern Ireland.