Oscar L. Shepard

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Oscar L. Shepard
Chairman of the Vermont Public Service Commission
In office
1953–1959
Preceded byN. Henry Press
Succeeded byCharles R. Ross
Speaker of the Vermont House of Representatives
In office
1939–1941
Preceded byMortimer R. Proctor
Succeeded byLee E. Emerson
Member of the Vermont House of Representatives from Hardwick
In office
1937–1941
Preceded byMartin K. Judd
Succeeded byMelvin G. Morse
State's Attorney of Caledonia County, Vermont
In office
1925–1933
Preceded byJutten A. Longmoore
Succeeded bySterry R. Waterman
Personal details
Born(1894-03-24)March 24, 1894
Albany, Vermont, U.S.
DiedNovember 23, 1980(1980-11-23) (aged 86)
Morrisville, Vermont, U.S.
Resting placePleasant View Cemetery, Morrisville, Vermont, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
SpouseEthyl Harriet (Wilbur) Shepard (m. 1917)
Children1
EducationLowell Commercial College, Lowell, Massachusetts
ProfessionAttorney
Military service
ServiceUnited States Army
Years of service1918–1919
RankCorporal
UnitProcurement Division, United States Army Ordnance Corps
WarsWorld War I

Oscar Leslie Shepard (March 24, 1894 – November 23, 1980) was a politician and lawyer in Hardwick, Vermont, who served as Speaker of the Vermont House of Representatives.

Biography[edit]

Oscar Leslie Shepard was born in Albany, Vermont, on March 24, 1894, and was raised in Hardwick.[1][2] Shepard graduated from Hardwick Academy and attended Lowell Commercial College in Lowell, Massachusetts.[3] After his 1914 graduation, Shepard became employed by a Hardwick law firm.[3]

He enlisted in the Army for World War I. Shepard served at the United States Department of War in Procurement Division of the Ordnance Corps from his February, 1918 enlistment until his January, 1919 discharge, and attained the rank of Corporal.[4]

After returning from his military service Shepard studied law with his employer, attained admission to the bar, and became a lawyer in Hardwick. From 1925 to 1933 Shepard served as Caledonia County State's Attorney.[3][5]

Shepard was a Hardwick Village Trustee from 1933 to 1952 and Town Meeting Moderator from 1934 to 1955.[6]

In 1936 Shepard was elected to the Vermont House of Representatives and served two terms. He was Speaker from 1939 to 1941.[7]

In 1940, Shepard was an unsuccessful candidate for lieutenant governor, losing the Republican primary to Mortimer R. Proctor.[8][9][10] From 1941 to 1945 he served on the Vermont Banking Board.[11] When Proctor became governor in 1945 he appointed Shepard as his executive assistant.[12]

In the 1950s Shepard served as chairman of the Vermont Public Service Commission.[13][14][15]

Shepard died in Morrisville, Vermont, aged 86, on November 23, 1980, and was buried in Morrisville's Pleasant View Cemetery.[16][17]

References[edit]

  1. ^ World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 Record for Oscar Leslie Shepard, accessed via Ancestry.com, March 3, 2012
  2. ^ U.S. World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942 Record for Oscar Leslie Shepard, accessed via Ancestry.com, March 3, 2012
  3. ^ a b c Crockett, Walter Hill (1923). Vermont: The Green Mountain State. Vol. 5. Century history Company, Incorporated. p. 255.
  4. ^ Roster of Vermont Men and Women in the World War, published by Herbert T. Johnston, Vermont Adjutant General, 1927, page 1166
  5. ^ Vermont Legislative Directory and State Manual, published by Vermont Secretary of State, 1941, page 642
  6. ^ American legislative leaders in the Northeast, 1911-1994, by James Roger Sharp and Nancy Weatherly Sharp, 2000, page 194
  7. ^ Newspaper article, Contest for Speaker Stirs Vermont's Political Interest, Christian Science Monitor, November 15, 1938
  8. ^ Newspaper article, To be Candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Vermont, by Associated Press, published in Portsmouth Herald, January 8, 1940
  9. ^ The Star That Set: The Vermont Republican Party, 1854-1974, by Samuel B. Hand, 2003, page 159
  10. ^ Election results, 1940 Republican Primary, by Vermont Secretary of State, Archives and Records Administration, 2006, page 1
  11. ^ Speakers of the Vermont House of Representatives Since 1870, by Vermont Secretary of State, Archives and Records Administration, 2012, page 7
  12. ^ Vermont Year Book, Formerly Walton's Register, published by E. P. & G. S. Walton (Montpelier), 1945, page 10.
  13. ^ Newspaper article, Power Allocation Draws Fire From Shortchanged, by Associated Press, published in Bennington Banner, October 25, 1957
  14. ^ Newspaper article, PSC Official Says Letter Not Improper, by Associated Press, published in Bennington Banner, October 2, 1958
  15. ^ Newspaper article, Partial Rate Hike Allowed Phone Company, by Associated Press, published in Bennington Banner, January 11, 1960
  16. ^ Vermont Death Records, 1909-2008, entry for Oscar L. Shepard, accessed via Ancestry.com, March 3, 2012
  17. ^ Social Security Death Index, entry for Oscar L. Shepard, accessed via Ancestry.com, March 3, 2012
Political offices
Preceded by Speaker of the Vermont House of Representatives
1939–1941 		Succeeded by
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