James Shields (politician, born 1806) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
James Shields
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| United States Senator from Missouri |
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| In office January 27, 1879 – March 3, 1879 |
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| Preceded by | David H. Armstrong |
| Succeeded by | George Graham Vest |
| United States Senator from Minnesota |
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| In office May 11, 1858 – March 3, 1859 |
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| Preceded by | None |
| Succeeded by | Morton S. Wilkinson |
| United States Senator from Illinois |
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| In office March 5, 1849 – March 15, 1849 |
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| Preceded by | Sidney Breese |
| Succeeded by | vacant |
| United States Senator from Illinois |
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| In office October 27, 1849 – March 3, 1855 |
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| Preceded by | vacant |
| Succeeded by | Lyman Trumbull |
| Member of the Illinois House of Representatives | |
| In office 1836 |
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| Justice on the Illinois Supreme Court | |
| In office 1843–1845 |
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| Preceded by | Stephen A. Douglas |
| 10th Commissioner of the General Land Office | |
| In office April 16, 1845 – January 5, 1847 |
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| President | James K. Polk |
| Preceded by | Thomas H. Blake |
| Succeeded by | Richard M. Young |
| Personal details | |
| Born | May 10, 1806 Altmore, County Tyrone, Ireland |
| Died | June 1, 1879 (aged 73) Ottumwa, Iowa, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service | United States Army Union Army |
| Years of service | 1832; 1835–1842; 1846–1848; 1861–1862 |
| Rank |  Brigadier General |
| Battles/wars | Second Seminole War Mexican–American War American Civil War |
James Shields (May 10, 1806 – June 1, 1879) was an Irish American politician and United States Army officer. He was also a Democratic politician. Shields holds a unique record in U.S. history. He is the only person to serve as a Senator for three different states.
Shields represented Illinois from 1849 to 1855. He then served Minnesota from 1858 to 1859. Finally, he represented Missouri in 1879 for a short time.
Born in Ireland, Shields moved to America in 1826. He first worked as a sailor. Later, he settled in Kaskaskia, Illinois, where he became a lawyer. In 1836, he was elected to the Illinois House of Representatives. He also served as the State Auditor.
His work as auditor led to a famous incident with a young Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln and his fiancée, Mary Todd, wrote funny letters about Shields in a local newspaper. Shields challenged Lincoln to a duel. They almost fought on September 22, 1842. But they made peace and later became friends.
In 1845, Shields became a judge on the Illinois Supreme Court. He then became the Commissioner of the U.S. General Land Office. When the Mexican–American War started, he joined the army. He became a brigadier general of volunteers. He fought bravely and was wounded twice.
After the war, he was offered the job of governor for the Oregon Territory, but he said no. He then became a Senator for Illinois. Later, he moved to Minnesota and started a town called Shieldsville. He was then elected as a Senator for Minnesota.
Shields also fought in the American Civil War. At the Battle of Kernstown, his troops defeated Stonewall Jackson. This was Jackson's only tactical defeat in the war. Shields left the army soon after. He moved several times before settling in Missouri. He served again as a Senator for three months. He died in 1879. A statue of him represents Illinois in the National Statuary Hall.
Contents
Early Life and Career
Shields was born in Altmore, County Tyrone, Ireland, on May 10, 1806. His parents were Charles Shields and Anne McDonnell. His father died when James was six. His uncle, also named James Shields, helped raise him. His uncle was a professor of Greek and Latin.
Young James went to school near his home. He also learned from a clergyman and his uncle. He studied military science, fencing, and French. He learned from a veteran of the Napoleonic Wars.
Shields tried to move to the United States in 1822. But his ship crashed off Scotland, and he was one of only a few survivors. He successfully reached America around 1826. Sadly, his uncle, whom he planned to meet, had already passed away.
Shields worked as a sailor. An accident left him with broken legs, and he spent three months in the hospital. After recovering, he joined the army and fought in the Second Seminole War. He became a lieutenant.
He spent some time in Quebec, Canada, where he opened a fencing school. Eventually, Shields moved to Kaskaskia, Illinois. He started studying and practicing law in 1832. He also taught French to earn money. In 1836, he was elected to the Illinois House of Representatives. In 1839, he became the State Auditor. As auditor, he worked to fix the state's money problems after the Panic of 1837. Some of his actions were not very popular.
Duel with Abraham Lincoln
Shields almost had a duel on September 22, 1842, with Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln was a young lawyer in Springfield, Illinois at the time. Lincoln had written a funny but insulting letter in a local newspaper. He pretended to be a farmer named "Aunt Becca."
At that time, there was a big debate about using paper money versus gold and silver for public debts. The Illinois State Bank had closed. Shields, as state auditor, was criticized by the Whig Party. Lincoln's future wife, Mary Todd, helped him write the letter. She and a friend kept writing to the paper without Lincoln knowing.
"Rebecca" called Shields a "fool" and a "liar." She made fun of him at a party. She wrote that he was complaining about paper money. She also joked about him thinking he was very handsome.
These letters caused a lot of excitement in Springfield. Shields was very offended. He demanded to know who the author was. Lincoln admitted he wrote the articles and accepted Shields' challenge to a duel.
The two men chose their helpers and went to Bloody Island. This island was between Missouri and Illinois. Lincoln, as the challenged person, chose the weapons. He picked cavalry broadswords. Shields was a great shot with a gun. Lincoln was much taller than Shields, so a sword seemed fairer.
Friends stepped in and convinced them not to fight. Other stories say they resolved their differences peacefully. All accounts agree they left the island without dueling. After this, Shields and Lincoln became good friends and stayed that way.
Later Career Steps
Shields was appointed as an Illinois Supreme Court judge on February 18, 1845. He took the place of Stephen A. Douglas. His time as a judge was quiet. He soon resigned to become Commissioner of the U.S. General Land Office.
While at the Land Office, Shields worked hard to survey land in Iowa. He wanted to create a settlement there for Irish immigrants. He left this job to become a brigadier general when the Mexican–American War began.
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Mexican–American War Service
On July 1, 1846, Shields was made a brigadier general of volunteers. He went to fight in the Mexican–American War. He served under generals like Zachary Taylor and Winfield Scott.
In 1846, Shields led two brigades to war. In February 1847, his men took control of Tampico. He commanded the 3rd Brigade at the battles of Vera Cruz and Cerro Gordo. At Cerro Gordo, he was badly wounded by grapeshot. He spent nine weeks recovering. He was shot through the lung, and doctors thought he might die.
He returned to fight in one day at both the battles of Contreras and Churubusco. Some people said his command was clumsy, but others praised his skill. His brigade took over 800 prisoners.
Shields was wounded again at the Battle of Chapultepec. His horse was shot, and he got a fractured arm. He kept fighting on foot, leading his troops with his sword. He stayed on the field until the battle ended. But he had to spend several months recovering after that.
Shields returned to America. His brigade was disbanded on July 28, 1848. Shields went back to his law practice in Illinois. He was given the honorary rank of major general. He also received two special swords from the states of South Carolina and Illinois.
Senator for Illinois
After the war, on August 14, 1848, President Polk nominated Shields to be governor of the Oregon Territory. The Senate approved him. However, Shields turned down the job. Joseph Lane became the first governor instead.
Shields declined the governorship to run for Senator from Illinois. He won the election. But his election was canceled. This was because he had not been a U.S. citizen for the required nine years. He had become a citizen on October 21, 1840, and was elected on January 13, 1849.
So, he resigned from the Senate on March 14. He went back to Illinois and ran for the same seat again. He won a special election in December, after the nine years had passed. This allowed him to replace himself as senator.
As a senator, he was against slavery. He supported land grants for farming colleges. He also supported land grants for railroads, soldiers, and settlers. These grants were part of a homestead act.
Shields published a book in 1854 called A History of Illinois, from its Commencement as a State in 1818 to 1847. The book was originally written by Illinois Governor Thomas Ford. Ford gave Shields the manuscript before he died. Shields published it to help Ford's orphaned children. In 1854, a military group in Chicago was named "The Shields Guards" in his honor.
Senator for Minnesota
In 1855, Shields lost his re-election bid in Illinois. He was in a three-way race with Lincoln and Lyman Trumbull. Trumbull eventually won the seat. Shields then moved to Minnesota. He went to check on lands he had received for his military service.
He helped Irish immigrants move from the East Coast to Minnesota. They settled in Rice and Le Sueur counties. Shields himself founded the town of Shieldsville. He also helped with the early settlement of Faribault, Minnesota.
In 1857, Native Americans attacked settlers in Spirit Lake, Iowa. Shields led about 100 people from Minnesota to fight the tribes. However, by the time he arrived, other troops had already defeated the tribes.
When Minnesota became a state in 1858, Shields was chosen as a candidate for U.S. Senator. He and Henry Mower Rice drew straws to decide who would serve the longer and shorter terms. Shields drew the short straw. He served until March 1859. He then lost his re-election to Morton S. Wilkinson.
American Civil War Service
Shields then moved to California. In 1861, he married Mary Carr. He was working on a mining project in Mexico. While there, he was appointed brigadier general of volunteers for the American Civil War. He took over from the late Frederick W. Lander.
He commanded the 2nd Division of the V Corps. This group was part of the Army of the Shenandoah. He served during the Valley Campaign of 1862.
Shields was wounded at the Battle of Kernstown on March 22, 1862. But his troops won a big victory. They gave General Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson his only tactical defeat of the war. The day after Kernstown, Shields was promoted to major general. However, this promotion was later taken back. Because his promotion was rejected, Shields resigned from the army. Abraham Lincoln informally offered him command of the Army of the Potomac. Shields turned it down because he had a bad relationship with Secretary of War Edwin Stanton.
Senator for Missouri
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In 1863, Shields moved to San Francisco. He worked there as the state railroad commissioner. He then moved to the Mississippi Valley and to Wisconsin. In 1866, he settled in Carrollton, Missouri. This remained his home. He worked on his farm, gave lectures, and stayed involved in public life.
He ran for Congress in 1868, but he lost. The election result was debated. Congress later gave Shields a year's salary. In 1876, a member of Congress suggested him for a job. It was to be the Doorkeeper of the United States House of Representatives. But Shields felt it was beneath him and declined.
Shields helped raise money to aid the yellow fever victims in the Southern US. He served as a member of the Missouri State House of Representatives. As a railroad commissioner, he helped create the State Railroad Commission. In 1879, he was elected to fill a Senate seat left empty by the death of Senator Lewis V. Bogy. He served only three months and chose not to run again. This made Shields the only person ever to serve as a senator from three different states.
Death and Legacy
Shields died unexpectedly in Ottumwa, Iowa, on June 1, 1879. He was on a lecture tour and had complained of chest pains. His body was taken to Carrollton, Missouri, by train. A funeral was held at the Catholic church. His body was then taken to St. Mary's Cemetery.
His grave had no marker for 30 years. Then, the local government and the U.S. Congress paid for a granite and bronze monument in his honor.
Shields was not rich later in life. When he died, his most valuable possessions were his ceremonial swords. These were given to him after the Mexican–American War. After his death, Mary Shields stayed in Carrollton with their daughter and two sons. She later moved to New York to live with their son Daniel.
A bronze statue of Shields was given by Illinois in 1893. It stands in the U.S. Capitol and represents the state in the National Statuary Hall. The statue was made by Leonard Volk. Another statue of Shields stands in front of the Carroll County Courthouse in Carrollton, Missouri. It was dedicated on November 12, 1910. Hundreds of people came for the unveiling. Congress gave $5,000 for this monument. A third statue stands at the state capitol in Saint Paul, Minnesota. It was dedicated in 1914.
