Oscar L. Shepard

Oscar L. 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

Oscar Leslie Shepard was born in Albany, Vermont on March 24, 1894 and was raised in Hardwick.[1][2]

Shepard graduated from Lowell Commercial College in Lowell, Massachusetts in 1914 and became employed by a Hardwick law firm.

He enlisted in the Army for World War I. Shepard served in the Ordnance Corps in the Washington, D.C. area from his February, 1918 enlistment until his January, 1919 discharge, attaining the rank of Corporal.[3]

After returning from his military service Shepard studied law with his employer, attained admission to the bar, and became a lawyer in Hardwick. From 1924 to 1932 Shepard served as Caledonia County State's Attorney.[4][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, on November 23, 1980 and was buried in Morrisville's Pleasant View Cemetery.[16][17]

References
  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. Roster of Vermont Men and Women in the World War, published by Herbert T. Johnston, Vermont Adjutant General, 1927, page 1166
  4. Vermont: The Green Mountain State, by Walter Hill Crockett, Volume 5, 1923, page 255
  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
Mortimer R. Proctor		 Speaker of the Vermont House of Representatives
1939–1941		 Succeeded by
Lee Earl Emerson
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