Oscar A. Mitscher


Oscar Augustus Mitscher was a participant in the Oklahoma Land Run of 1889. After settling in Oklahoma Territory, he established a merchandising company, and became Mayor of Oklahoma City from 1892 to 1894, the Territorial Period before statehood. He was better known as the father of U.S. Navy Admiral Marc Mitscher, who was notable in the U.S. effort to defeat the Japanese Navy in World War II.

Early years in Oklahoma

Oscar Augustus Mitscher was born on June 7, 1861 in Hillsboro, Wisconsin. Very little about his early life has been published, other than that his parents were immigrants to Wisconsin from Germany, named Andreas Mischer and Constantina Mohn. apparently moved to Oklahoma City in 1889, located in what was then known as Indian Territory. In 1900, President William McKinley appointed Mitscher as the U.S. Agent for the Osage Nation, which had already been moved to a reservation within the new territory. His new post would be located at the present-day community of Pawhuska, Oklahoma.
Oscar married Myrta Viola Shear and would have three children. Their son, Marc Mitscher, would become an Admiral in the United States Navy. The Shear family also lived in Hillsboro, Wisconsin, and made the Land Run of 1889.Byron D. Shear, Myrta's brother, would also become a Mayor of Oklahoma City. Her father, Thomas J. Shear, was a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly. Oscar A. Mitscher died on July 24, 1926.

Family

Oscar and Myrta had three children: Marc A. ; Zoe Mitscher Hoevel ; and Thomas Oscar.
Mitscher was Mayor from 1892 to 1894, before Oklahoma became a state. He was a Republican.