Matthias Shepler (November 11, 1790 – April 7, 1863) was a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

from

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

for one term from 1837 to 1839.

Early life and career

Matthias Shepler was born on November 11, 1790, in

Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania Westmoreland County is a county in the state of Pennsylvania, United States, in the Pittsburgh Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2020 census the population was 354,663. The county seat is Greensburg and the most populous community is ...

. He received limited schooling.

Career

Shepler served in the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

. He moved to Ohio in April 1818 and settled in

Bethlehem Township, Stark County, Ohio Bethlehem Township is one of the seventeen townships of Stark County, Ohio, United States. The 2020 census found 5,520 people in the township. Geography Located in the southwestern part of the county, it borders the following townships: * Per ...

. Shepler engaged in agricultural pursuits. He was in the Justice of the Peace for thirty years. He served as county commissioner for two terms. He served as member of the

Ohio House of Representatives The Ohio House of Representatives is the lower house of the Ohio General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Ohio; the other house of the bicameral legislature being the Ohio Senate. The House of Representatives first met in ...

in 1829. He served in the

Ohio Senate The Ohio Senate is the upper house of the Ohio General Assembly. The State Senate, which meets in the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus, first convened in 1803. Senators are elected for four year terms, staggered every two years such that half of t ...

in 1832. Shepler 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 (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

to the Twenty-fifth Congress (March 4, 1837 – March 3, 1839), defeating Whig candidate Samuel Quinby. He served as chairman of the Committee on Revisal and Unfinished Business (Twenty-fifth Congress). Shepler declined to be a candidate for renomination in 1838.

Personal life

Shepler married Elizabeth Retan in 1816. They had one son, John R. Shepler married Elizabeth Bechtel. They had six children. His wife died in 1837. He married Sarah (née Sherman) Linerade, widow of Otho Linerade and daughter of John Sherman. They had no children. He was a member of the

Church of the United Brethren in Christ The Church of the United Brethren in Christ is an evangelical Christian denomination with churches in 17 countries. It is Protestant, with an episcopal structure and Arminian theology, with roots in the Mennonite and German Reformed communities ...

. Shepler moved to

Navarre, Ohio Navarre is a village in southwestern Stark County, Ohio, United States. The population was 1,846 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Canton–Massillon metropolitan area. History The village is named after the Navarre region in Spain. Geogra ...

, in 1860. He died on April 7, 1863, in Navarre. He was interred in Shepler Church Cemetery, near Navarre.

References

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shepler, Matthias 1790 births 1863 deaths County commissioners in Ohio Politicians from Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania People from Navarre, Ohio American justices of the peace Democratic Party members of the Ohio House of Representatives Democratic Party Ohio state senators American military personnel of the War of 1812 American United Brethren in Christ Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives 19th-century members of the Ohio General Assembly