Ether Shepley (November 2, 1789January 15, 1877) was an

American politician The politics of the United States function within a framework of a constitutional federal republic and presidential system, with three distinct branches that share powers. These are: the U.S. Congress which forms the legislative branch, a b ...

. Shepley, a

Democratic-Republican The Democratic-Republican Party, known at the time as the Republican Party and also referred to as the Jeffersonian Republican Party among other names, was an American political party founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in the early ...

, served in the

Maine State House The Maine State House in Augusta, Maine, is the state capitol of the State of Maine. The building was completed in 1832, one year after Augusta became the capital of Maine. Built using Maine granite, the State House was based on the design of the ...

before becoming one of the

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * '' Our ...

's U.S. Senators. Shepley resigned from the Senate after two years to become a Justice (and later Chief Justice) of the

Maine Supreme Judicial Court The Maine Supreme Judicial Court is the highest court in the state of Maine's judicial system. It is composed of seven justices, who are appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Maine Senate. From 1820 until 1839, justices served lifetime a ...

. Shepley was born in Groton,

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

. He attended Groton Academy, (now

Lawrence Academy at Groton Lawrence Academy at Groton is a private, nonsectarian, coeducational college preparatory boarding school located in Groton, Massachusetts, in the United States. Founded in 1792 by a group of fifty residents of Groton and Pepperell, Massachusetts ...

) and in 1814 graduated from

Dartmouth College Dartmouth College (; ) is a private research university in Hanover, New Hampshire. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, it is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution. Although founded to educate Native ...

Hanover, New Hampshire Hanover is a town located along the Connecticut River in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 11,870. The town is home to the Ivy League university Dartmouth College, the U.S. Army Corps of ...

. He later studied law and was admitted to the

bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar * Chocolate bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud * Bar (un ...

in 1814. Shepley began practicing law in

Saco, Maine Saco is a city in York County, Maine, United States. The population was 20,381 at the 2020 census. It is home to Ferry Beach State Park, Funtown Splashtown USA, Thornton Academy, as well as General Dynamics Armament Systems (also known by i ...

(at the time, Maine was part of Massachusetts.) Shepley became a member of the

Massachusetts General Court The Massachusetts General Court (formally styled the General Court of Massachusetts) is the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The name "General Court" is a hold-over from the earliest days of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, ...

in 1819; the following year, he was a delegate to the Maine constitutional convention, which drew up the constitution for Maine when it became a

. From 1821 until 1833, Shepley was the U.S. attorney for the District of Maine. Later Shepley moved to

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

. He was elected as a

Jacksonian Democrat Jacksonian democracy was a 19th-century political philosophy in the United States that expanded suffrage to most white men over the age of 21, and restructured a number of federal institutions. Originating with the seventh U.S. president, And ...

to the U.S. Senate and served from March 4, 1833, until his resignation on March 3, 1836. During Shepley's time in

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

, he served as chairman of the Committee on Engrossed Bills ( 23rd and 24th Congresses). On October 28, 1836, Shepley became a justice of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court; in 1848 he was elevated to chief justice. He served on the Court until October 22, 1855 (he was not a candidate for renomination). The following year he was appointed as the sole commissioner to revise the public laws of Maine. Later he resumed practicing law. Sheply died in Portland and is interred in Evergreen Cemetery in

Portland, Maine Portland is the largest city in the U.S. state of Maine and the seat of Cumberland County. Portland's population was 68,408 in April 2020. The Greater Portland metropolitan area is home to over half a million people, the 104th-largest metro ...

. His son was George Foster Shepley.

References

Sources

*"Shepley, Ether, (1789-1877)", ''

Biographical Directory of the United States Congress The ''Biographical Directory of the United States Congress'' (Bioguide) is a biographical dictionary of all present and former members of the United States Congress and its predecessor, the Continental Congress. Also included are Delegates from ...

'' * Israel Washburn Jr., “Memoir of Hon. Ether Shepley, LLD”, ''Collections of the Maine Historical Society'', (Portland: Hoyt, Fogg, Dunham, 1881), vol. viii, pp. 409–437
Archive.org
accessed 5 May 2015

External links

* http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=S000334
Cemetery Memorial
by La-Cemeteries {{DEFAULTSORT:Shepley, Ether 1789 births 1877 deaths Dartmouth College alumni Politicians from Portland, Maine People from Groton, Massachusetts Members of the Massachusetts General Court Democratic Party United States senators from Maine Chief Justices of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court Maine Democratic-Republicans Maine Jacksonians Burials at Evergreen Cemetery (Portland, Maine)