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Paul Mitchell might have been viewed as just another rich guy who wanted to check politics off his bucket list after making millions in business.
He spent a personal fortune on two congressional races, lost the first run for the 4th District, then moved his residence to prevail in his 10th District bid to replace the retiring Candice Miller in 2016.
But Mitchell, who died Monday at age 64, defied the stereotype of a bored millionaire looking to indulge his ego.
He arrived in Congress, in the words of his Michigan colleague, Tim Walberg, R-Tipton, with "arms swinging, feet flailing and eyes wide open -- ready to get things done."
Mitchell believed that with a businessman's pragmatism he could break through Washington's partisan gridlock and get things done for his constituents. And he did manage to help secure funding for the expansion of the Soo Locks and building Asian carp barriers. He also helped rally support for the new USMCA trade agreement.
But Mitchell quickly soured on the partisanship he hoped to avoid when he came to Congress. The dysfunction in the House made it apparent to him that he would not be able to move the body toward productivity.
So rather than compromise his principles and stay in the House just for the sake of power and stature, he left.
"Good bipartisan bills have no chance of moving forward, so why am I working like this when I got a 9-year-old at home?" Mitchell said on announcing his retirement after just two terms. "I don't need the job."
He did not go quietly, though. In his final year in office, Mitchell became increasingly vocal about the Republican Party's betrayal of the conservative values that guided his political life, as well as the antics of former President Donald Trump.
After Trump refused to acknowledge his defeat and pressured the GOP to overturn the election, Mitchell resigned from the party and spent his last month in Congress as an independent.
Back home, he began a fledgling movement to either reclaim the Republican Party for principled conservatives or to start a new party.
Mitchell got into politics for the right reasons, and left rather than surrender his honor.
His wife, Sherry, eulogized him best:
"Paul stood up for what matters most. It had nothing to do with political ideology and everything to do with keeping our humanity. For everyone."
-- Detroit News