Augustine Henry Shepperd

Augustine Henry Shepperd (February 24, 1792 – July 11, 1864) was a lawyer and politician in North Carolina. He served as a Congressional Representative from North Carolina for numerous terms, most often as a member of the Whig Party. File:Autograph_augustine_henry_shepperd.jpg

Early life and education

Born in Rockford, North Carolina, on February 24, 1792, Shepperd completed private preparatory studies and studied law. He had a younger brother William W. Shepperd, who emigrated to Mexican Texas with others in the family in 1831. Augustine Shepperd was admitted to the bar and commenced practice in Surry County, North Carolina.

Political career

Shepperd soon became involved in politics, being elected to the State house of representatives and serving 1822–1826.

He was elected to the Twentieth through Twenty-third Congresses. He was elected as a Whig to the Twenty-fourth and Twenty-fifth Congresses (serving March 4, 1827 – March 3, 1839).

During these periods, he served as chairman, Committee on Expenditures in the Department of the Navy (Twenty-first Congress), Committee on Expenditures in the Department of War (Twenty-second Congress), and on the Committee on Expenditures in the Department of State (Twenty-third and Twenty-fourth Congresses).

He was a consistent supporter of Native Americans, influenced by the Moravian mission tradition.{{Cite journal |last=Rolater |first=Fred S. |date=Spring 1993 |title=The American Indian and the Origin of the Second American Party System |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/4636431 |journal=The Wisconsin Magazine of History |volume=76 |issue=3 |pages=180–203 |jstor=4636431}}

He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1838 to the Twenty-sixth Congress. In the next cycle, he was elected again as a Whig to the Twenty-seventh Congress (March 4, 1841 – March 3, 1843); serving as chairman, Committee on Public Expenditures (Twenty-seventh Congress).

After another gap, he was elected as a Whig to the Thirtieth and Thirty-first Congresses (March 4, 1847 – March 3, 1851).

He declined to run for reelection in 1850 and returned to North Carolina to resume the practice of law.

Personal life and death

Shepperd married Miss Turner and had a family.{{Cite news |date=September 20, 1908 |title=Prominent Men of Early Times in Greenboro's History |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/news-and-record-hon-augustin-h-shepper/142001386/ |access-date=2024-02-24 |work=News and Record |via=Newspapers.com}} He was the father of Mary Frances ("Fanny") Shepperd. She married William Dorsey Pender, who became a Confederate general.

He died at the plantation "Good Spring," Salem, North Carolina, on July 11, 1864. He was interred in Salem Cemetery.