Jack Mitchell (banker)

John James Mitchell Jr.
Born	Template:Birth date Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Died	April 7, 1985(1985-04-07) (aged 87)
Occupation	Financier
Known for	Founder of United Airlines

John James Mitchell Jr. (April 28, 1897 – April 7, 1985) was a prominent American financier and one of the founders of United Airlines.

Early life

He was born in Chicago on April 28, 1897, to John James Mitchell (1853–1927), who presided over Illinois Trust and Savings Bank as well as Illinois Merchants Trust Company. After completing his education at Yale University, he served as a naval aviator in the United States Navy during the First World War.

His brother, William "Bill" Mitchell, held leadership roles including director positions at Texaco and Continental Illinois National Bank. William’s marriage to Chicago socialite Ginevra King, the muse for Thomas "Tom" Buchanan in The Great Gatsby, is notable.

Career

Mitchell played a key role in founding National Air Transport, which later developed into United Airlines. He remained on its board from 1937 until 1979.

In 1929, he acquired a significant estate by Zaca Lake near Santa Barbara, California, which he named Rancho Juan y Lolita.

He established the organization Los Rancheros Visitadores, known for hosting annual horseback excursions throughout California that attracted over 700 participants. Serving as its inaugural president for a quarter-century, Mitchell led a group that included distinguished members like Clark Gable and Walt Disney. In 1938, this organization purchased the Covarrubias Adobe for $15,000 and completed its restoration by 1940.

In recognition of his contributions, Mitchell was inducted into the Cowboy Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City in 1979. He resided at Rancho Juan y Lolita until the early 1960s before selling it to actor James Stewart.

Personal life

Mitchell wed Lolita Armour, daughter of J. Ogden Armour, in 1921 at the Armour family estate located in the upscale community of Lake Forest, Illinois. Their combined fortune was valued at over $120 million in 1926 dollars, with Armour ranking as the second wealthiest individual in America after John D. Rockefeller.

Their properties included a penthouse in Chicago, the El Mirador estate and a beach residence in Montecito, a sprawling 12,000-acre ranch within the Santa Ynez Valley, and land by Zaca Lake.

Starting in 1916, the Armour family began acquiring Montecito properties such as the former Charles Frederick Eaton estate called Riso Rivo. By 1918, they had built El Mirador, designed by Chicago architect Arthur Heun. Collaborating with landscape architect Elmer Awl and a gardening team, they transformed it into one of Montecito’s most elaborate estates, featuring formal Italian gardens, an underground grotto, orchards, a private zoo, a floating tea pavilion on an artificial lake, and an amphitheater accommodating 1,000 guests. Financial difficulties eventually led to scaled-back maintenance following their divorce in 1941. Lolita continued residing at El Mirador until her passing in 1976.

In 1942, Mitchell married Olga Voronseva Varchavshia, a Russian immigrant who worked as an interior decorator; together they made their home in Santa Barbara.

He fathered three children: daughter Lolita "Tita" M. Lanning of Santa Barbara; and sons John J. Mitchell Jr. residing in Santa Barbara and James J. Mitchell living in Mountain View, California.

Mitchell lived in Montecito up until his death on April 7, 1985.