Francis Edwin Shober (March 12, 1831 – May 29, 1896) was an American politician who served as

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

from

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...

secretary of the United States Senate The secretary of the Senate is an officer of the United States Senate. The secretary supervises an extensive array of offices and services to expedite the day-to-day operations of that body. The office is somewhat analogous to that of the clerk ...

, county judge, and a member of the

North Carolina State House The North Carolina State House was built from 1792 to 1796 as the state capitol for North Carolina. It was located at Union Square in the state capital, Raleigh, in Wake County. The building was extensively renovated in the neoclassical style by ...

and

North Carolina House of Commons The North Carolina House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the North Carolina General Assembly. The House is a 120-member body led by a Speaker of the House, who holds powers similar to those of the President pro-tem in the North Ca ...

. He was the father of Francis Emanuel Shober. Born in Salem (now Winston-Salem), North Carolina, Shober attended the common schools and the Moravian School,

Bethlehem, Pennsylvania Bethlehem is a city in Northampton and Lehigh Counties in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 census, Bethlehem had a total population of 75,781. Of this, 55,639 were in Northampton County and 19, ...

. He was graduated from the

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States ...

in 1851. He studied law. He was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

in 1853 and commenced practice in Salisbury, North Carolina, in 1854. He served as member of the North Carolina General Assembly of 1862-1864 House of Commons (18621864). He served in the North Carolina General Assembly of 1865-1866

state senate A state legislature in the United States is the legislative body of any of the 50 U.S. states. The formal name varies from state to state. In 27 states, the legislature is simply called the ''Legislature'' or the ''State Legislature'', whil ...

in 1865. Shober was elected as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

to the Forty-first and Forty-second Congresses (March 4, 1869 – March 3, 1873). He was not a candidate for renomination in 1872. He served as delegate to the State constitutional convention in 1875. County judge of Rowan County in 1877 and 1878. He was appointed Chief Clerk of the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

in the Forty-fifth Congress. Upon the death of Secretary John C. Burch in the Forty-seventh Congress was appointed Acting

Secretary of the Senate The secretary of the Senate is an officer of the United States Senate. The secretary supervises an extensive array of offices and services to expedite the day-to-day operations of that body. The office is somewhat analogous to that of the clerk ...

and served from October 24, 1881, to December 18, 1883. He served as delegate to the Democratic National Conventions in 1880 and 1884. He was again a member of the State senate in 1887. He resumed the practice of his profession. He died in Salisbury, North Carolina, May 29, 1896. He was interred in Oakdale Cemetery. On January 6, 1889, James Francis Shober, the first black physician with a medical degree to set up practice in North Carolina, died. Evidence indicates that he had a son, James Francis Shober from an 18-year-old slave. His son was born in the Moravian community of Salem in 1853 and was the first documented African-American physician in NC.

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Shober, Francis Edwin 1831 births 1896 deaths Democratic Party members of the North Carolina House of Representatives Democratic Party North Carolina state senators Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from North Carolina 19th-century American politicians Secretaries of the United States Senate