{{Short description|Australian book collector (1836–1907)}} {{Use Australian English|date=September 2014}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2026}} {{Infobox person | name = <!-- use common name/article title --> | image = David Scott Mitchell portrait.jpg | alt = <!-- descriptive text for use by speech synthesis (text-to-speech) software --> | caption = David Scott Mitchell | birth_name = <!-- only use if different from name --> | birth_date = {{Birth date|1836|03|19|df=yes}} | birth_place = Sydney | death_date = {{Death date and age|1907|07|24|1836|03|19|df=yes}} | death_place = Sydney | other_names = | occupation = Book collector | years_active = 1866-1907 | known_for = Australiana Book and Manuscript Collection | notable_works = }}
'''David Scott Mitchell''' (19 March 1836 – 24 July 1907)<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article14889883 |title=Family Notices |newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=25 July 1907 |page=6}}</ref> was a collector of Australian books, founder and benefactor of the Mitchell Library, at the State Library of New South Wales, Sydney.<ref name=adb>G. D. Richardson, '[https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/mitchell-david-scott-4210 Mitchell, David Scott (1836–1907)]', ''Australian Dictionary of Biography'', Volume 5, Melbourne University Press, 1974, pp 260–261. Retrieved 8 October 2009.</ref> Mitchell was buried in Rookwood Cemetery.<ref name="dab" />
==Early life== In 1836 Mitchell was born in Sydney, the son of Dr James Mitchell and his wife Augusta Maria Frederick, ''née'' Scott.<ref name=dab>{{Dictionary of Australian Biography|first=David Scott|last=Mitchell|shortlink=0-dict-biogMa-Mo.html#mitchell1|accessdate=9 October 2009}}</ref> James and Augusta are commemorated by a window in the Garrison Church.<ref name="HolyTrinity">{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article16743282 |title=Holy Trinity Church|newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald |date=3 January 1931 |access-date=13 August 2014 |page=7 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}</ref> David Mitchell was born at Sydney Hospital,<ref name=HolyTrinity/> grew up in Cumberland Street, Sydney and in October 1852, aged 16, became one of the first seven undergraduate students in the newly established University of Sydney in 1852.<ref name="Grand Obsession">{{cite book|title=A Grand Obsession: The DS Mitchell Story|year=2007|publisher=State Library of New South Wales (in association with the exhibition)|location=Macquarie Street, Sydney|isbn=978-0-7313-7177-8|editor=Willstead, Theresa|pages=1, 4}}</ref> Mitchell won scholarships in mathematics and graduated B.A. in 1856 with honours in classics, and M.A. in 1859.<ref name=adb/>
Mitchell was called to the bar, however he never practised law or any other profession.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|title=A grand obsession : the DS Mitchell story|last=Brunton|first=Paul|last2=Ellis|first2=Elizabeth|date=2007-01-01|publisher=State Library of NSW|isbn=978-0731371778|pages=46|oclc=174104174}}</ref> It was said that he declined the position of attorney-general.<ref name=adb/> Mitchell assisted in the management of the Hunter River estates.<ref name=dab/> Allegedly, he broke off a romance with Emily Matilda Manning, daughter of William Montagu Manning.<ref name=adb/> Mitchell's father died in 1869. Publication of the family affairs was humiliating to a man of Mitchell's sensitive disposition.<ref name=adb/>
==Book collector== thumb|right|Bedroom, David Scott Mitchell's residence, Darlinghurst, Sydney, 1907. In his search for books he was "largely indebted to the efforts of booksellers who knew Australiana, including George Robertson, Fred W. Wymark, William Dymock and James R. Tyrrell".<ref>Geoffrey Chapman Ingleton, "Australiana", in: ''The Australian Encyclopedia'', The Grolier Society of Australia, 1963, Vol. 1, p. 340.</ref> Mitchell also purchased books from other collectors, most notably Mitchell purchased the 3,300-volume Australian collection of Alfred Lee in 1906.<ref name=":0" />{{Quote box |quote =
... I give and bequeath to the Trustees of the Public Library of New South Wales all my books, pictures, engravings, coins, tokens, medals and manuscripts ... upon the trust and condition that the same shall be called and known as "The Mitchell Library" and shall be permanently arranged and kept for use in a special wing or set of rooms dedicated for that purpose... |source=Extract from will of David Scott Mitchell<ref>State Library of NSW (2007) p1 [http://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/events/exhibitions/2007/dsmitchell/docs/dsmitchell_guide.pdf A Grand Obsession: the D.S. Mitchell story]</ref> |align = right |width = 20em |border = 1px |fontsize = 90% |salign = right }}
==Other activities== [[File:David Scott Mitchell grave 2007.jpg|thumb|upright|Mitchell's grave at Rookwood Cemetery]] Mitchell was the first patron of the Royal Australian Historical Society in 1901.<ref>{{cite web | title=Previous Councillors | website=Royal Australian Historical Society | url=https://www.rahs.org.au/welcome-royal-australian-historical-society/our-people/previous-councillors/ | access-date=16 September 2020 | archive-date=17 June 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200617193902/https://www.rahs.org.au/welcome-royal-australian-historical-society/our-people/previous-councillors/ | url-status=dead }}</ref>
==Further reading== James R. Tyrrell, ''David Scott Mitchell: A Reminiscence'' (Sydney: Sunnybrook Press, 1936)
==See also== * Angus & Robertson * William Dixson
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== {{commons category}} *[https://web.archive.org/web/20081120071846/http://www.philanthropywiki.org.au/index.php/David_Scott_Mitchell David Scott Mitchell] at Philanthropy Wiki * {{cite web | url = http://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/research-and-collections-about-our-collections/david-scott-mitchell-library | title = David Scott Mitchell Library | access-date = 28 June 2017 | date = 2016 | work = State Library of New South Wales Blogs | publisher = State Library of New South Wales}} *[http://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/about/awards/mitchell.html David Scott Mitchell Memorial Fellowship] – encourages the use of the Mitchell Library for study and research of Australian history * {{cite web | url = http://dictionaryofsydney.org/person/mitchell_david_scott | title = Mitchell, David Scott | access-date = 9 October 2015 | date = 2015 | work = Dictionary of Sydney | publisher = Dictionary of Sydney Trust}}<nowiki>[</nowiki>CC-By-SA<nowiki>]</nowiki>
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Mitchell, David Scott}} Category:1836 births Category:1907 deaths Category:Colony of New South Wales people Category:People from Sydney Category:Australian book and manuscript collectors Category:19th-century Australian philanthropists