Wilmer David "Vinegar Bend" Mizell (13 August 1930 - 21 February 1999) was a Republican U.S. Congressman from North Carolina between 1969 and 1975 and a Major League Baseball starting pitcher before that.
Born in Vinegar Bend, Alabama, Mizell attended high school in Leakesville, Mississippi, graduating in 1949. He was a professional baseball pitcher between 1949 and 1963, although he served briefly in the United States Army from 1953 to 1954. During his major league baseball career, he played for the St. Louis Cardinals (1952-1960), the Pittsburgh Pirates (1960-1962), and the New York Mets (1962). Mizell played as Vinegar Bend Mizell during his MLB career.
In a 9-season career, Mizell was 90-88 with a 3.85 ERA in 268 games, 230 of those starts. He pitched 61 complete games, and 15 CG shutouts. Vinegar allowed 654 earned runs and struck out 918 in 1528 and 2/3 innings pitched.
After leaving baseball, Mizell worked in sales and public relations for the Pepsi-Cola company in Winston-Salem, North Carolina until 1967. He entered politics in the 1960s as well, being elected to the Davidson County, North Carolina board of commissioners in 1966, and serving as its chairman. In 1968, Mizell, a Republican, was elected to a seat in the 91st United States Congress; he would be re-elected twice, serving a total of six years in the national legislature.
Following his defeat for re-election to a fourth term by Stephen Neal in 1974, Mizell was appointed Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development, a post he held from March 1975 to May 1976. He unsuccessfully attempted to recover his House seat in 1976, after which he served as Assistant Secretary of Agriculture for Governmental and Public Affairs in the Reagan administration and Deputy Assistant Secretary for Intergovernmental Affairs, Department of Veterans Affairs in the George H.W. Bush administration. Mizell also worked as executive director of the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports.
After leaving government life, he resided in Midway, North Carolina; Mizell died in 1999 in Kerrville, Tennessee.
This article incorporates public ___domain material from the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress