George Knox Shiel (1825December 12, 1893) was an American lawyer and politician who served one term as a
Democratic U.S. congressman
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 ...
from
Oregon
Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...
from 1861 to 1863.
Early life
Born on the
island of Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George's Channel. Ireland is the s ...
(the entirety of which was then part of
the U.K.
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
) in 1825, Shiel migrated to the United States and settled in
. He moved to
Ohio
Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...
where he was admitted to the bar and began a law practice. He moved to
Salem, Oregon
Salem ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of Oregon, and the county seat of Marion County, Oregon, Marion County. It is located in the center of the Willamette Valley alongside the Willamette River, which runs north through the city. The river ...
, in 1854 and continued his law practice. He was nominated for colonel of
Marion County at the 1856 Oregon Democratic Convention, and though it is unlikely he commanded any troops, he kept the title until his death.
Congressional election
In June 1860, Shiel was elected as a
Democratic United States 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 ...
for
Oregon's at-large district. However, after the June election, the
Oregon House of Representatives
The Oregon House of Representatives is the lower house of the Oregon Legislative Assembly. There are 60 members of the House, representing 60 districts across the state, each with a population of 65,000. The House meets in the west wing of the ...
passed a bill moving the date of U. S. Congress elections to November, effective immediately. The
Oregon Senate
The Oregon State Senate is the upper house of the statewide legislature for the US state of Oregon. Along with the lower chamber Oregon House of Representatives it makes up the Oregon Legislative Assembly. There are 30 members of the state Sena ...
passed a similar bill, but that bill did not apply to the current election. Though the bills were never reconciled or signed into law, another election was held nonetheless, and was won by
Andrew J. Thayer
Andrew Jackson Thayer (November 27, 1818 – April 28, 1873) was an attorney and Democratic Party (United States), Democratic United States Congress, U.S. congressman from Oregon. A native of New York (state), New York state, he previously wo ...
. Thayer's election was certified and he took the seat in March 1861.
Shiel contested the election on the grounds that the Oregon constitution had set the election date and no law had been passed to change it. Thayer argued that the Oregon constitution referred only to Oregon's first congressional election in 1858, and that Shiel's election in June was invalid. Since Oregonians had a right to Congressional representation, and since the Oregon Legislature had the clear intent for a November election, Thayer argued his election was the only valid one.
On July 30, 1861, the House of Representatives'
Committee on Elections, led by
Henry L. Dawes
Henry Laurens Dawes (October 30, 1816February 5, 1903) was an attorney and politician, a Republican United States Senator and United States Representative from Massachusetts. He is notable for the Dawes Act (1887), which was intended to stimula ...
of
, sided with Shiel, holding that the state constitution's June election date should be considered law, and that even if the Oregon Legislature had successfully changed it, it would have been unconstitutional.
An amendment by
Thaddeus Stevens
Thaddeus Stevens (April 4, 1792August 11, 1868) was a member of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania, one of the leaders of the Radical Republican faction of the Republican Party during the 1860s. A fierce opponent of sla ...
of
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
to declare the seat vacant was defeated by a vote of 77-37. Stevens was concerned that the decision was in violation of
Article I, Section 4 of the United States Constitution. The House stripped Thayer of his seat and Shiel was immediately sworn in.
[Cong. Globe, 37th Cong., 1st Sess]
357
(1861).
Shiel's tenure in Congress was not particularly notable. Despite being considered a great orator,
Oregon historian Ben Maxwell wrote that Shiel was "regarded as the most inconsequential congressman ever sent to Washington from Oregon."
Shiel was known as a pro-
slavery
Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...
secessionist
Secession is the withdrawal of a group from a larger entity, especially a political entity, but also from any organization, union or military alliance. Some of the most famous and significant secessions have been: the former Soviet republics lea ...
, and was a bitter foe of President
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...
.
After Congress
After serving in Congress, Shiel returned to Oregon, where he had a checkered career. He was barred from practicing law for a time as he refused to take the required oath of allegiance.
On the night of December 12, 1893, after socializing at the Willamette Hotel (later renamed the Marion Hotel) in Salem, he fell through a railing along the sidewalk into a basement stairwell, breaking his neck and dying almost instantly. Reports vary as to whether Shiel, who had a reputation as a drinker, was drunk at the time.
Shiel is buried in
Salem Pioneer Cemetery, though his name is misspelled as "Shields" on the tombstone.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shiel, George K.
1825 births
1893 deaths
Accidental deaths in Oregon
Accidental deaths from falls
Irish emigrants to the United States
Burials at Salem Pioneer Cemetery
Politicians from Salem, Oregon
19th-century American politicians
Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Oregon