George P. Mitchell

George P. Mitchell
Born	George Phydias Mitchell May 21, 1919(1919-05-21)[1] Galveston, Texas, USA
Citizenship	USA
Occupation	Mitchell Energy CEO, philanthropist
Years active	1950s–1990s
Known for	Natural gas industry; The Woodlands; Galveston restoration; Support of sustainability

George Phydias Mitchell (born 1919) is an American businessman, real estate developer and philanthropist from Texas. He was born to Greek immigrant parents in the port city of Galveston, Texas. Mitchell earned a degree from Texas A&M University with an emphasis in geology and petroleum engineering. He started an independent oil and gas company, Mitchell Energy & Development Corp. and built it into a Fortune 500 company.^[2] In the 1980s and 1990s the company pioneered new technology for horizontal drilling of natural gas. This technique, combined with hydraulic fracturing of rock, makes it possible to economically extract natural gas from shale rock formations. The new approach has been widely adopted by the gas industry and spawned a new gas boom in North America. The Potential Gas Committee estimates that U.S. recoverable reserves will last 118 years at current production levels.^[3] Extracting natural gas from shale rock is rapidly spreading to countries outside the United States. Mitchell's innovation is important in the context of energy security and global warming: The United States will be less dependant on foreign sources of energy. Because natural gas emits less carbon dioxide than coal and petroleum, it will serve as a bridge fuel on the way to a less carbon-dependent economy. Mitchell Energy & Development Corp. was sold to Devon Energy in 2001 for $3.5 billion.

Mitchell was the developer of The Woodlands, an unincorporated community in Montgomery and Harriss counties, Texas, which he developed from timberland located 25 miles north of downtown Houston. He brought on the esteemed landscape architect Ian McHarg to consult on the project. The masterplan for the community called for preserving trees, protecting the environment, minimizing flooding and creating a pleasant urban environment. In 2010 The Woodlands was home to 92,300 people. When fully developed the population will have reached 130,000. ^[4] He and his wife Cynthia have played a major role in the revitalization of his hometown of Galveston. Mitchell had a life-long passion for tennis, and the tennis center at Texas A&M University, where he was captain of the tennis team, was named in his honor. Built for an estimated $4.2 million, the official ribbon cutting ceremony was held on October 23, 1998. In 1984, he was the recipient of an honorary doctoral degree from the University of Houston.^[5]

In an article discussing Mitchell's gift of US$10 million to the National Academies of Science, the organization's magazine InFocus described Mitchell's commitment to sustainability and the environment as follows.^[6]

An early admirer of the work of design and ecology visionary Buckminster Fuller, the young CEO Mitchell also realized that there were finite energy resources and raw materials for a world whose population was increasing rapidly. In the 1970s he helped sponsor the work of Dennis Meadows, whose Club of Rome study The Limits to Growth was a global wake-up call on the pressing need for sustainable energy technologies and food sources worldwide.

Working with Meadows and other national leaders Mitchell created The Woodlands Conference series and the International George and Cynthia Mitchell Prize, both dedicated to sustainable development. He was particularly interested in the role of the business community in creating sustainable societies. The Mitchells also underwrote the National Academies' Our Common Journey: A Transition Toward Sustainability,^[7] the 1999 report that defined the role of science and technology in moving toward sustainability. As a follow-up to Our Common Journey and with Mitchell's continued help the National Academies created a long term program committed to advancing science and technology in support of sustainable development.^[8] Mitchell also founded the Houston Advanced Research Center that explores strategies for sustainable development at the regional level. He donated part of his wealth to the Cynthia and George Mitchell Foundation that supports programs for the efficient and wise use of Earth's resources.^[9]

Through the generous donation by George P. Mitchell of $35 million, the Texas A&M University Physics department relocated to two new buildings in late 2009: The George P. and Cynthia W. Mitchell Fundamental Physics and Astronomy Building and the George P. Mitchell Physics Building. This donation by Mitchell and his wife, Cynthia, is the latest in a series supporting the university's scientific development and the physics department in particular. With previous gifts supporting important additions such as academic chairs, professorships and the Giant Magellan Telescope project, the Mitchells are Texas A&M's most financially supportive benefactors of the modern day, with donations now totaling $44.5 million for the physics department over the past three years. In 2004 the Forbes magazine listed him with a Net Worth of 1.6 Billion US-dollar as one of the 500 richest people worldwide.^[10] Today he's one of the richest greeks.^[11]

References

1. ^ Hays, Kristen (1 Aug 2008). "George Mitchell still pushes energy conservation: Oilman has worked for conservation since the Arab embargo more than 30 years ago". Houston Chronicle. http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/business/5920511.html. 
2. ^ Joseph W. Kutchin, How Mitchell Energy & Development Corp. got its start and how it grew, Universal Publishers, 2001.
3. ^ Potential Gas Committee, Potential Supply of Natural Gas in the United States, Colorado School of Mines, 2008.
4. ^ George T. Morgan, Jr. and John O. King, The Woodlands: New Commuinity Development, 1964-1983, College Station: Texas University Press, 1987. Roger Galatas with Jim Barlow, The Woodlands: The Inside Story of Creating a Better Hometown, Washington, D.C.: The Urban Land Institute, 2004.
5. ^ "Biography, George P. Mitchell". University of Houston. 2003-07-07. http://www.uh.edu/news-events/archive/newsroom/centerforarts/gmitchellbio.html. Retrieved 2008-10-18. 
6. ^ Mitchell Gift to Endow Academies' Efforts in Sustainability Science, The National Academy of Science, InFocus Magazine, Summer/Fall 2002, http://www.infocusmagazine.org/2.2/spotlight.html
7. ^ http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=9690#description
8. ^ http://sites.nationalacademies.org/PGA/sustainability/index.htm
9. ^ Jurgen Schmandt, George P. Mitchell and the Idea of Sustainability, College Station: Texas A&M University Press, 2010.
10. ^ http://www.forbes.com/finance/lists/10/2004/LIR.jhtml?passListId=10&passYear=2004&passListType=Person&uniqueId=5XCM&datatype=Person Forbes 500 in 2004.
11. ^ http://usa.greekreporter.com/2011/03/14/2011-forbes-rich-list-includes-8-greeks/ 2011 Forbes Rich List Includes 8 Greeks

External links

• Forbes.com: Forbes World's Richest People
• Funding Universe: Mitchell Energy and Development Corporation

Persondata
Name	Mitchell, George P.
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1919-05-21
Place of birth	Galveston, Texas, USA
Date of death
Place of death