Senator Mitchell has had a distinguished career in public service. He served in the Senate as a member of the Democratic Party for 15 years and held the position of majority leader from 1989 to 1995. He was appointed by President Clinton as the Special Advisor to Ireland, and from 1996 to 2000 he served as the Independent Chairman of the Northern Ireland Peace Talks. In 2009, Senator Mitchell was appointed as United States Special Envoy for Middle East Peace by President Obama.
Throughout his career, he has enjoyed bipartisan respect and for six consecutive years was voted “the most respected member” of the Senate by a bipartisan group of senior congressional aides.