Mitch Harper

Mitch Harper represents the 4th District on Fort Wayne’s Common Council. The 4th District includes Waynedale, Time Corners and Aboite. He was first elected in 2007 and was reelected in 2011.

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 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.

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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.

As President of the Mary and Perry Spencer Foundation, a founding member of the board of the Maumee Valley Heritage Corridor, a member of the board of Drive Alive, Mitch is deeply involved in the community.

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 Chain O’ Lakes State Park at Albion in December attracts competitors from 30 different states and is one of the largest events of its kind in North America.