Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 09.djvu/338

 SHANNON

SHANNON

S.A.. ISTI-To, and charge d'affaires, 1872. 1873-74. la 1876 he took charge of the Botanical Garden railroad, served and conducted by Americans in Brazil, and later became its president. He was graduated at Cohiml)ia Law scliool. 18S5, and was married. Sept. 19, 1887, to Martha A. Greenough. He was U.S. minister to the Central American States. 1891-93. and a Republican rep- resentative from the thirteenth New York dis- trict in the 54th and 55th congresses, 1895-99. He was an alumni trustee of Colby university and received the degree of LL.D. from that in- stitution in 1893.

SH.WNON, Wilson, governor of Ohio and of Kansyis Territory, was born at Mount Olivet, now Belmont county. Ohio, Feb. 24, 1802 ; son of Tliomas Shannon, who was the son of an Irish merchant and was brought to America in 1760. His mother died dur- ing the voyage, and his father, after land- ing in Wihuington, Del., left him in charge of an Episco- pal clergyman and on his return voyage was lost at sea. The or- phan boy on reaching manhood removed to ■ Bradford county, Pa., where lie married a K, ,; Miss Bradford, and about 1800 removed with his famih' to Mt. Olivet, Ohio Territory. In the winter of 1803 he was frozen to death while on a hunting expedition along the Oliio river, leaving a family consisting of his widow and .seven sons and two daughters. Wil- son, tlie ninth child, was a student at Ohio uni- versity, Athens ; studied law at Transylvania university, Ky., and in 1826 began practice in St. Clairsville, Ohio. He was married first to a daughter of E. Ellis, and she, with an infant son, lied soon after. He was married secondly to Sarah, daughter of Samuel Osbon of Cadiz, Ohio, and they had seven cliildren, his daughter Mary Ijeooming the wife of Gen. Tliomas W. Sherman fq.v.). Mr. Shannon was the defeated Demo- ■ratic canilidate for representative from the -iventeenth district of Ohio in the 23d congress, 1832 ; was attorney for Belmont county, 1833-35 ; prosecuting attorney for the state, 1835-38 ; Dem- r>cratic governor of Ohio, 1839-40; was defeated fi>r re-election in 1^^40 by Thomas Corwin, Whig ; was re-elected governor in 1842, and resigned in 1814. to accept the position of U.S. minister to Mexico from President Tyler. He was recalled in 1845, on the eve of the war with Mexico, and

on his return to Ohio opened a law office in Cin- cinnati. In 1849 he organized and sent out vari- ous expeditions of gold seekers across the jilains to California. He represented Ohio in the 33d congress, 1853-55, and voted for the Kansas- Nebraska bill as a means for settling the question of slavery in the territories. He was appointed by President Pierce in September, 1855, governor of Kansas Territory, to succeed A. H. Reeder. He found the territory in a state of discord and violence, the contest between the immigrants from the border slave states and those from the eastern free states for possession of the territory being at its height. The legislature and the entire machinery of the territorial government were in the hands of the pro-slavery party which was enforcing the laws through the territorial militia. The free-state party led by Robinson, Lane, Deitzler and others had imported Sharp's rifles to protect their persons and property. On Dec. 6, 1855, Governor Shannon called the terri- torial militia into service to suppress what he termed a "rebellion" in the vicinity of Law- rence. People from Missouri, to the number of 1500 to 2000, responded to the call. The free- state party disclaimed any intention of breaking the law. Dr. Charles Robinson, who had been made commander-in-chief of the free-state forces, with others, visited the governor in camp at Franklin, for the purpose of settling the difficul- ties, and after hearing Dr. Robinson and his aids, Governor Shannon and the thirteen captains con- trolling the territorial militia discontinued ag- gressive measures, and the terms of peace were signed, Dec. 9, 1855, ending the Wakarusa war. John Brown attempted to enlist a party to attack the dispersed "territorial militia" so-called, in the rear, but the chairman of the committee of public safety ordered Brown under arrest. This ended the attempt at insubordination for the time. Governor Shannon, finding the question still unsettled and the territorial government unable to execute the laws, went to Washington for instructions and induced the President to issue the proclamation of Feb. 11, 1856, clothing the Governor of Kansas with authority to call upon the U.S. troops whenever the territorial militia could not secure the peaceful administra- tion of the government. Indictments for high treason were found by a pro-slavery grand jury at the April term, 1856, against the free-state leaders, and the arrest of Dr. Charles Robinson, G. W. Brown. G. W. Smith. G. W. Deitzler and Gains Jenkins followed. The Free State Hotel, the Herald of Freedom office, with its presses, type, fixtures, stock and fine library, were de- stroyed, as was the Free State printing office, and Governor Robinson's residence, including his large library and valuable papers. Many resi-