Augustine Henry Shepperd (February 24, 1792 – July 11, 1864) was a lawyer and politician in North Carolina. He served as a
Congressional Representative from
North Carolina
North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...
for numerous terms, most often as a member of the
Whig Party.
Early life and education
Born in
Rockford, North Carolina, on February 24, 1792, Shepperd completed private preparatory studies and studied law. He had a younger brother William W. Shepperd, who emigrated to Mexican Texas with others in the family in 1831. Augustine Shepperd was admitted to the bar and commenced practice in
Surry County, North Carolina
Surry County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 71,359. Its county seat is Dobson, and its largest community is Mount Airy.
Surry county comprises the Mount Airy, NC Micropol ...
.
Political career
Shepperd soon became involved in politics, being elected to the
State house of representatives and serving 1822–1826.
He was elected to the Twentieth through Twenty-third Congresses. He was elected as a
Whig to the Twenty-fourth and Twenty-fifth Congresses (serving March 4, 1827 – March 3, 1839).
During these periods, he served as chairman, Committee on Expenditures in the
Department of the Navy (Twenty-first Congress), Committee on Expenditures in the
Department of War (Twenty-second Congress), and on the Committee on Expenditures in the
Department of State
The United States Department of State (DOS), or simply the State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs ...
(Twenty-third and Twenty-fourth Congresses).
He was a consistent supporter of Native Americans, influenced by the
Moravian mission tradition.
He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1838 to the Twenty-sixth Congress. In the next cycle, he was elected again as a Whig to the Twenty-seventh Congress (March 4, 1841 – March 3, 1843); serving as chairman, Committee on Public Expenditures (Twenty-seventh Congress).
After another gap, he was elected as a Whig to the Thirtieth and Thirty-first Congresses (March 4, 1847 – March 3, 1851).
He declined to run for reelection in 1850 and returned to North Carolina to resume the practice of law.
Personal life and death
Shepperd married Miss Turner and had a family.
He was the father of Mary Frances ("Fanny") Shepperd. She married
William Dorsey Pender, who became a
Confederate general.
He died at the plantation "Good Spring,"
Salem, North Carolina, on July 11, 1864. He was interred in
Salem Cemetery.
See also
*
Twentieth United States Congress
*
Twenty-first United States Congress
*
Twenty-second United States Congress
*
Twenty-third United States Congress
*
Twenty-fourth United States Congress
*
Twenty-fifth United States Congress
*
Twenty-seventh United States Congress
*
Thirtieth United States Congress
*
Thirty-first United States Congress
References
External links
U.S. Congress Biographical Directory entry*
1792 births
People from Rockford, North Carolina
North Carolina lawyers
Shepperd, Augustine Henry
1864 deaths
Burials at Salem Cemetery (Winston-Salem, North Carolina)
North Carolina Whigs
Jacksonian members of the United States House of Representatives from North Carolina
National Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from North Carolina
Whig Party members of the United States House of Representatives
19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives
19th-century members of the North Carolina General Assembly
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