Background
He was born in Alloa, Clackmannanshire, Scotland, the youngest son of Andrew and Janet Thomson. He was a grandson of William Mitchell (Scottish entrepreneur) (1781–1854).
He was born in Alloa, Clackmannanshire, Scotland, the youngest son of Andrew and Janet Thomson. He was a grandson of William Mitchell (Scottish entrepreneur) (1781–1854).
He entered local politics in 1882 standing unsuccessfully for a council seat in Edinburgh. He finally gained a seat in 1890. He served on the city’s Gas, Education and Water Commissions.
He was the chairman on the Northhill Soup Kitchen committee in Edinburgh.
He was a trustee and chairman for the George Heriot’s School in Edinburgh. He was Provost of Edinburgh (1897–1900) and a Justice of the Peace for Peebleshire.
He served on the committee of the Edinburgh branch of the Navy league in the 1900s. He was not a free trader in that he was chairman of the Scottish Trade Protection Society (1890s) and later the Tariff Reform League (1900s).
He served as Lord Provost of Edinburgh from 1897 to 1900.
He started out a partner in the family timber business and later held directorships at various times in a range of Scottish based companies (the Bank of Scotland, the Scottish Widow’s Fund Life Assurance Society, the British Investment Trust Company Arizona Trusts and Mortgage Company, the Scottish Reversionary Company Limited. The Caledonian Railway and the London Advisory Committee of the Canada Steamship Lincolnshire Limited (1917). By 1916 he had acquired over 1,900 acres (77 km2) of land including an estate in Peeblesshire called Polmood which he sold in 1917.
He also owned land in Kincardineshire.
Death and afterward In later life he was living at 6 Charlotte Square a huge and prestigious townhouse in the centre of Edinburgh. He died at home in Edinburgh on 15 November 1918.
His obituary appeared in The Scotsman newspaper. He is buried facing the north path of Dean Cemetery in Edinburgh at the west end of the section closest to the main entrance.
He was a Member of the Royal Company of Archers.