John Shaffer (governor)
7th Governor of Utah Territory
title: "John Shaffer (governor)" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1827-births", "1870-deaths", "people-from-lewisburg,-pennsylvania", "people-from-freeport,-illinois", "businesspeople-from-illinois", "people-of-illinois-in-the-american-civil-war", "illinois-republicans", "illinois-sheriffs", "governors-of-utah-territory", "utah-republicans", "union-army-colonels", "19th-century-american-businesspeople", "military-personnel-from-pennsylvania"] description: "7th Governor of Utah Territory" topic_path: "people/1820s" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Shaffer_(governor)" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary 7th Governor of Utah Territory ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox officeholder"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | John Shaffer |
| image | John Wilson Shaffer.jpg |
| office | 7th Governor of Utah Territory |
| term_start | March 20, 1870 |
| term_end | October 31, 1870 |
| nominator | Ulysses S. Grant |
| preceded | Charles Durkee |
| succeeded | Vernon H. Vaughan |
| birth_date | |
| birth_place | Lewisburg, Pennsylvania |
| death_date | |
| death_place | Salt Lake City, Utah |
| resting_place | Freeport City Cemetery, Freeport, Illinois |
| party | Republican |
| :: |
|name= John Shaffer |image= John Wilson Shaffer.jpg |caption= |office= 7th Governor of Utah Territory |term_start= March 20, 1870 |term_end= October 31, 1870 |nominator= Ulysses S. Grant |preceded= Charles Durkee |succeeded= Vernon H. Vaughan |birth_date= |birth_place= Lewisburg, Pennsylvania |death_date= |death_place= Salt Lake City, Utah |resting_place= Freeport City Cemetery, Freeport, Illinois |spouse= |profession= |party= Republican |footnotes= John Wilson Shaffer (July 5, 1827 – October 31, 1870) was an American politician and businessman who served as the 7th Governor of Utah Territory.
Biography
Born in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, Shaffer was active in Republican politics in Illinois. In 1849, Shaffer settled in Freeport, Illinois and was involved in the mercantile business. Then, in 1856, he was elected sheriff of Stephenson County, Illinois. He was elected clerk and recorder for the Illinois Circuit Court for Stephenson County. Shaffer served in the 15th Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment during the American Civil War and later served as quartermaster, being brevetted brigadier general when the war ended. He was appointed governor of the territory of Utah by President Ulysses S. Grant. He was known for his strict opposition of any hint of rebellion against the federal government, which led to concerns with the Mormon population. He died suddenly during his first year as governor.
Notes
References
- "John Wilson Shaffer". Government of Utah.
- [http://www.politicalgraveyard.com/bio/shaffer.html Bio data]
- Thomas Mears Eddy, ed. ''The Patriotism of Illinois. A Record of the Civil and Military History of the State in the War for the Union'', vol. 2 (Chicago: Clark & Company Publishers, 1866), 353-56, "Colonel John Wilson Shaffer."
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