Encyclopedia Dubuque
"Encyclopedia Dubuque is the online authority for all things Dubuque, written by the people who know the city best.”
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Affiliated with the Local History Network of the State Historical Society of Iowa, and the Iowa Museum Association.
SHIELDS, John G.
SHIELDS, John G. (Grayson Co., KY, May 22, 1811-Unknown). MAYOR. The partnership of Edward D. Emerson and Shields in lumber, pork packing, and mercantile business became one of the most widely recognized business arrangements in Dubuque of the early 1800s. In 1833 he was one of the principal developers of the CITY HOTEL.
In 1852, to combat Dubuque's loss in river business to Galena, Shields and Jesse P. FARLEY bought and launched into the St. Paul to St. Louis trade the steamers, "Lamartine" and "Excelsior." Following the renegade Indian slaughter of settlers in the Spirit Lake Massacre of 1853, Shields was appointed the senior Major General of the militia of Iowa by the governor. Shields was later elected to four years in the Iowa Senate when the Dubuque District included thirteen northeastern counties. He was elected mayor of Dubuque in 1855 but rejected a second term.