William Shepard

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William Shepard

William Shepard (born December 1, 1737 in Westfield , Hampden County , Province of Massachusetts Bay , †  November 16, 1817 ibid) was an American officer and politician . Between 1797 and 1803 he represented the state of Massachusetts in the US House of Representatives .

Career

William Shepard grew up during the British colonial era. He attended the public schools in his home country and then worked in agriculture. He took part in the French and Indian War, which was part of the Seven Years' War , for six years . In the 1770s he joined the American Revolution . In 1774 he was a member of a revolutionary committee in Westfield. During the following war of independence he served in the Continental Army , in which he rose to the rank of colonel. After the war, Shepard began a political career. Between 1785 and 1786 he was a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives . He was also a local councilor in Westfield from 1784 to 1787. In 1786 he was appointed major general of the state militia. In this capacity he was involved in the crackdown on Shays' rebellion . From 1792 to 1796, Shepard was a member of the Advisory Board to the Governor of Massachusetts. He then was a negotiator with the Penobscot Indians in 1796 and 1797 .

Shepard joined the Federalist Party founded by Alexander Hamilton in the late 1790s . In the congressional election of 1796 he was elected to the US House of Representatives in the second constituency of Massachusetts, where he succeeded William Lyman on March 4, 1797 . After two re-elections, he was able to complete three legislative terms in Congress by March 3, 1803 . During this time, the new federal capital Washington, DC was moved into in 1800 .

After the end of his time in the US House of Representatives, William Shepard worked again in agriculture. He died on November 16, 1817 in his hometown of Westfield.

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