Mitch Harper was born in 1956 in Fort Wayne and is a lifelong resident of Allen County. His great-great grandfather, William Harper, settled in Allen County in 1834 after immigrating from County Tyrone, Ireland.
Mitch Harper was married in 1989 to Dawn Wilson and they reside in the Barrington Lake Estates neighborhood. Dawn is a Certified Public Accountant.
Mitch Harper is an attorney in private practice. He is also editor of the weblog, Fort Wayne Observed (www.FortWayneObserved.com).
He served as State Representative from 1978 through 1990. Elected at age 22, he was the youngest member of the Indiana House of Representatives. As state chairman of the American Legislative Exchange Council, he was an advocate for term limits. He chose not to seek re-election after 12 years in the General Assembly.
He served as Chairman of the House Urban Affairs Committee and the House Labor Committee. He was co-chairman of the House Environmental Affairs Committee.
He served on the House Committee on Cities and Towns and was a member of the joint committee on Local Government Affairs which drafted Indiana's first Home Rule legislation.
He was the author of Indiana’s Crime Victim’s Notification Act. He is a recipient of the Guardian of Small Business Award from the National Federation of Independent Business for his legislative record of support for Indiana small business. He was selected as one of the first 30 Henry Toll Fellows in national competition by the Council of State Governments.
Mitch Harper is President of the Mary and Perry Spencer Foundation.
He is also a member of the board of the Maumee Valley Heritage Corridor and was one of the founding members of that organization. He is also a member of the board of Drive Alive.
He has been a past member of the boards of AWS (Anthony Wayne Services) and ARCH, Fort Wayne's historic preservation organization. He is a past President of the Fort Wayne Rivergreenway Consortium. He served as member of the Mayor's Task Force on the Future of Smith Field in 2002.
Mitch Harper is a member of the board of Barrington Lake Estates Association and served as President of his association.
He is active in promoting running and recreation in northeast Indiana. He is the organizer and founder of several athletic events including the Galloping Gobbler 4 Miler held at the campus of the University of St. Francis each Thanksgiving. The HUFF 50K Trail Run at the Huntington Reservoir in December attracts competitors from 30 different states and is one of the largest events of its kind in North America.
Mr. Harper was one of the first emergency medical technicians actively providing emergency ambulance service in Allen County and he maintains an interest in emergency and public safety services.
