Sidney Zollicoffer Mitchell

(March 17, 1862-February 17, 1944)

S. Z. Mitchell was born on March 17, 1862, in Dadeville, Tallapoosa County, Alabama, the youngest of three sons of Dr. William

Alexander Mitchell and Elmira Sophia Jordan Mitchell. His early childhood was shaped by the hardships of the Civil War and Reconstruction. After his mother’s death in 1865, Sidney and his brothers were raised by their widowed grandmother, Ann Spivey Jordan, on her Coosa County plantation. There, he learned discipline, self-reliance, and two guiding principles that shaped his life: to always put himself in another’s place when in doubt, and to complete his work before starting anything new.

Mitchell attended local schools and received additional lessons from his grandmother, while also helping on the farm. He developed a lifelong love of horseback riding and hunting, pursuits he would enjoy well into adulthood. A pivotal moment in his youth came when a family friend nominated him for a competitive appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy. After six months of intense study, he won the appointment and graduated from Annapolis with the Class of 1883.

Serving aboard the U.S.S. Trenton and later the U.S.S. Quinnebaugh, Mitchell earned his commission during two years of naval service, during which he helped install and operate the world’s first incandescent lighting system on a battleship. Although he valued his naval career, he sought greater opportunities for innovation and entrepreneurship, resigning his commission in 1885.

That year, Mitchell traveled to New York, where he was introduced to Thomas Edison. Impressed by his enthusiasm, Edison hired him to work at his Goerck Street factory, where Mitchell learned the intricacies of electrical engineering and power distribution while attending Edison’s night school. Later that year, Mitchell secured the exclusive rights to represent the Edison Electric Light Company and the Edison Company for Isolated Lighting in the Pacific Northwest, including Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Alaska, and British Columbia.

With his former Naval Academy classmate Frederick H. Sparling, Mitchell established the first central electric light station west of the Rocky Mountains in Seattle, helping the city promote itself in its rivalry with Tacoma. He soon expanded operations, forming the Northwest Supply & Construction Company, which organized electric light plants in more than a dozen cities. By 1890, Edison General Electric acquired his company and appointed him to lead its Northwestern District office in Portland.

As the demand for electricity grew in the 1890s—for lighting, transportation, and industry—Mitchell’s expertise as a power developer and financier made him an influential figure in the emerging electric utility sector. In 1892, Edison’s companies merged with Thomson-Houston to form the General Electric Company, giving Mitchell resources to expand utilities throughout the region. In 1893, he married Alice P. Bell of Portland, and the couple had one son, Sidney A. Mitchell.

Mitchell’s reputation as a visionary in hydroelectric development eventually brought him to New York, where he was invited to help organize the Electric Bond and Share Company, a subsidiary of General Electric. As president and later chairman, he oversaw financing and development for a vast network of utility companies, earning recognition as one of the most influential leaders in the global power industry.

in 1924 Sidney built an estate designed by James O'Connor in Matinecock with landscaping by the Olmsted Brothers and O'Connor.

The House was demolished in 1950.

A 1925 Forbes profile hailed him as “a torchbearer for advancing civilization,” noting he had guided more utility plants and raised more capital for electrical infrastructure than any other individual of his time.

In 1927, Mitchell was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree by the University of Alabama during the dedication of the Jordan Dam, named for his mother and honoring both Sidney and his brother Reuben for their contributions to electrification. Inspired by a visit to his boyhood home, Mitchell purchased 5,000 acres in Coosa County and established Ann Jordan Farm, a hunting lodge and retreat named for his beloved grandmother. It became a gathering place where he entertained colleagues and friends with Southern hospitality and field sports.

After Alice’s death in 1941, Mitchell married a widow, Mrs. Palmer. He continued to work and travel until his death from a heart attack on February 17, 1944.

Sidney was laid to rest in Addition 2, Lot 151 of Locust Valley Cemetery.

Sidney Zollicoffer Mitchell’s life traced the arc of America’s electrification. A pioneering engineer, entrepreneur, and financier, he transformed the Pacific Northwest’s cities with power infrastructure, helped shape General Electric’s national reach, and built Electric Bond and Share into one of the largest holding companies in the world. Remembered as a trailblazer and a builder, he embodied the innovative spirit of his generation.