Some time after Mitchell left Bequia to enter St. Vincent Grammar School, his grandmother died; his younger siblings then joined their mother in Saint Lucia.

[2] After studying for three years at the Imperial College of Tropical Agriculture in Trinidad and Tobago, Mitchell entered the University of British Columbia in 1954.

[13] Mitchell endorsed the Grenadines becoming a separate nation from St. Vincent: in a 1984 election campaign speech, he opined that the incumbent government was continuing the colonial policy of favouring St.

In 1987, at the eighth conference of heads of government in the Caribbean Community, he stated, "As I see it, we must have one flag, one anthem and freedom of movement of people, services and capital.

To aid the industry, Mitchell outlined his government's policies to promote crop diversification as well as land redistribution to increase production.

[5] Mitchell wrote on a variety of issues in agriculture and Caribbean society, included the topics of fungicide usage and land reform.

[17] On 31 October 2021, Mitchell was admitted to Milton Cato Memorial Hospital in Saint Vincent due to multiple illnesses, including gallstone, kidney failure and an enlarged prostate.

He was then flown to Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Bridgetown in Barbados for advanced medical treatment on 3 November 2021, and was additionally diagnosed with pneumonia.

[19] The government of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines announced three days of national mourning through 25 November, with flags flown at half-mast.