George J. Mitchell is a Lebanese American politician and diplomat.
He was born on August 20, 1933, in Waterville, Maine, and is of Lebanese descent. George served as one of the U.S. senators from Maine between 1980 and 1995, and he was the Majority Leader of the U.S. Senate from 1989 to 1995. Additionally, he served as the United States special envoy to both Northern Ireland — under President Bill Clinton — and the Middle East — under President Barack Obama. He has also served as the chancellor of Queen’s University in Belfast and chairman of the Walt Disney Company.
Before his rise to fame, George received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Bowdoin College and a law degree from Georgetown University.
Throughout his career, George has received the US Senator John Heinz Award for Greatest Public Service by an Elected or Appointed Official, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and the Liberty Medal. He was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1998. He was also granted honorary knighthood in the order of the British Empire for his work in Northern Ireland.
