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Former U.S. Senator George Mitchell was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his work in the peace process in Northern Ireland during a White House ceremony in 1999. Mitchell was sent to the region by President Bill Clinton to develop trade, but he quickly earned the trust and respect of rival political factions and was asked to mediate settlement talks. The historic Good Friday Agreement, brokered by Mitchell, celebrated its 25th anniversary recently, and he returned to Northern Ireland to deliver a speech on the occasion. Mitchell considers his work in Northern Ireland to be one of his top accomplishments, even though politics in the region remain complex and tension has risen since Brexit. Despite the agreement’s success, Mitchell knows differences and disputes are normal but measures the success of the agreement by the reduction in sectarian violence-related deaths, from 3,500 during the conflict to about 155 in the 25 years since the agreement. Mitchell is a Waterville native who served in the Army and was appointed to the U.S. Senate twice, during which he served as majority leader. He stepped down in 1995 when Clinton appointed him as a special adviser for economic initiatives in Ireland, which led to his mediation of the Good Friday Agreement.
