John Levi Sheppard (April 13, 1852 – October 11, 1902) was an American

lawyer A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solic ...

judge A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a panel of judges. A judge hears all the witnesses and any other evidence presented by the barristers or solicitors of the case, assesses the credibility an ...

, and

legislator A legislator (also known as a deputy or lawmaker) is a person who writes and passes laws, especially someone who is a member of a legislature. Legislators are often elected by the people of the state. Legislatures may be supra-national (for ex ...

Biography

Sheppard was born in

Bluffton, Alabama Bluffton is an unincorporated community in Cherokee County, Alabama, United States. History Bluffton was founded as a mining community in 1888. In 1890, Bluffton was home to approximately 8,000 residents. The Bluffton Land, Ore and Furnace Compan ...

on April 13, 1852. As a child he moved with his mother to

Morris County, Texas Morris County is a county located near the eastern border of the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2010 census, its population was 11,973. Its county seat is Daingerfield. Morris County is probably named for William Wright Morris, an early judge ...

, where he attended the local schools. Sheppard then studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1879, and began to practice in Daingerfield. 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 ...

, Sheppard served as

district attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or state attorney is the chief prosecutor and/or chief law enforcement officer representing a U.S. state in a l ...

of the fifth judicial district from 1882 to 1888, and district

from 1888 to 1896. He was temporary chairman of the state Democratic convention in 1892, and a delegate to the 1893 Bimettalist convention. He was also a delegate to the

1896 Democratic National Convention The 1896 Democratic National Convention, held at the Chicago Coliseum from July 7 to July 11, was the scene of William Jennings Bryan's nomination as the Democratic presidential candidate for the 1896 U.S. presidential election. At age 36, B ...

. In 1898 Sheppard was elected to the

United States House of Representatives 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 house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

from the Fourth Congressional District of

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

. He served in the 56th and 57th Congresses, and held office from March 4, 1899 until his death. Sheppard died in

Texarkana, Texas Texarkana is a city in Bowie County, Texas, United States, in the Ark-La-Tex region. Located approximately from Dallas, Texarkana is a twin city with neighboring Texarkana, Arkansas. The Texas city's population was 36,193 at the 2020 census. ...

on October 11, 1902. He was buried at Rose Hill Cemetery in Texarkana.

Family

Sheppard was married to Margaret Alice Eddins (1854-1905). Their children included

Morris Sheppard John Morris Sheppard (May 28, 1875April 9, 1941) was a Democratic United States Congressman and United States Senator from Texas. He authored the Eighteenth Amendment (Prohibition) and introduced it in the Senate, and is referred to as "the fa ...

, an attorney who was in practice with his father. He was elected to Congress in the seat his father had filled, and later elected by the state legislature as

United States Senator The United States Senate is the Upper house, upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives being the Lower house, lower chamber. Together they compose the national Bica ...

from Texas, serving for decades. Sheppard was the great-grandfather of Senator

Connie Mack III Cornelius Alexander McGillicuddy III (born October 29, 1940), also known as Connie Mack III, is an American retired Republican politician. He served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Florida from 1983 to 1989 and th ...

and great-great-grandfather of Representative

Connie Mack IV Cornelius Harvey McGillicuddy (born August 12, 1967), popularly known as Connie Mack IV, is an American politician and lobbyist. He is the former U.S. Representative for , serving from 2005 to 2013. A Republican, he ran for the U.S. Senate in 20 ...

, both of Florida.

External links

*
Memorial addresses on the life and character of John Levi Sheppard late a representative from Texas delivered in the House of Representatives and Senate frontispiece 1903
* 1852 births 1902 deaths Texas lawyers People from Cherokee County, Alabama People from Texarkana, Texas Texas state court judges County district attorneys in Texas Burials in Texas Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Texas 19th-century American politicians People from Daingerfield, Texas 19th-century American judges People from Morris County, Texas {{Texas-politician-stub

Biography

Family

See also

External links