Peter C. Shannon
Encyclopedia
Peter C. Shannon was an American lawyer, politician, and judge. After practicing law for a time in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
, in 1852 Shannon ran unsuccessfully for a seat in the US House of Representatives (as a Democrat), losing by five hundred votes to Whig
David Ritchie. Shannon was then appointed president judge of the local district court in 1852 by Pennsylvania Governor William Bigler
, but served for only a year, having been defeated for re-election in 1853. At the beginning of the Civil War Shannon became a Republican and was elected to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
, serving two terms, 1862 and 1863. He was commissioned Lieutenant Colonel in a regiment which he helped raise, but resigned to continue his political career. In 1862 he campaigned with Governor Andrew Curtin in his successful re-election bid, and in 1864 was part of Lincoln
's re-election campaign in Pennsylvania.
After the Civil War Shannon continued his law practice until he was appointed Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Dakota Territory
in 1873 by President Ulysses S. Grant
. Shannon presided over the trial of Jack McCall
for the killing of Wild Bill Hickok
which resulted in the Dakota Territory's first legal hanging, and prepared the Criminal Code adoped by the Territorial Legislature in 1875. He was reappointed by President Rutherford B. Hayes
, but his application for a third appointment was opposed by the Yankton
Bar Association, perhaps in part because he was viewed as a supporter of Governor Nehemiah Ordway. President Chester A. Arthur
appointed him to a commission negotiating land sales with the Sioux
, which he served on for a number of years. He signed an 1882 agreement with the Lakota which was never ratified.
In 1883 Shannon was appointed to investigate charges of drunkenness and improper behavior against Everton Conger
, a judge in Montana Territory
; although his report was somewhat sympathetic, it led to Attorney-General Benjamin H. Brewster
recommending his removal. Conger was ultimately restored to office by President Arthur, but only one day before the expiration of his commission. Shannon testified before a Congressional committee about his investigation in March 1884.
Shannon moved to California only a year or two before his death, due to ill health, and died after being injured in a carriage accident.
Shannon County
, South Dakota
is named in his honor.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
, in 1852 Shannon ran unsuccessfully for a seat in the US House of Representatives (as a Democrat), losing by five hundred votes to Whig
Whig Party (United States)
The Whig Party was a political party of the United States during the era of Jacksonian democracy. Considered integral to the Second Party System and operating from the early 1830s to the mid-1850s, the party was formed in opposition to the policies of President Andrew Jackson and his Democratic...
David Ritchie. Shannon was then appointed president judge of the local district court in 1852 by Pennsylvania Governor William Bigler
William Bigler
William Bigler was the 12th Governor of Pennsylvania from 1852 to 1855, and later a U.S. Senator for the Democratic Party....
, but served for only a year, having been defeated for re-election in 1853. At the beginning of the Civil War Shannon became a Republican and was elected to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Pennsylvania General Assembly, the legislature of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. There are 203 members, elected for two year terms from single member districts....
, serving two terms, 1862 and 1863. He was commissioned Lieutenant Colonel in a regiment which he helped raise, but resigned to continue his political career. In 1862 he campaigned with Governor Andrew Curtin in his successful re-election bid, and in 1864 was part of Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
's re-election campaign in Pennsylvania.
After the Civil War Shannon continued his law practice until he was appointed Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Dakota Territory
Dakota Territory
The Territory of Dakota was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1861, until November 2, 1889, when the final extent of the reduced territory was split and admitted to the Union as the states of North and South Dakota.The Dakota Territory consisted of...
in 1873 by President Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant was the 18th President of the United States as well as military commander during the Civil War and post-war Reconstruction periods. Under Grant's command, the Union Army defeated the Confederate military and ended the Confederate States of America...
. Shannon presided over the trial of Jack McCall
Jack McCall
John "Jack" McCall , known by the nickname "Crooked Nose Jack or Broken Nose Jack, was the killer of James "Wild Bill" Hickok, shooting him from behind, an act that among admirers of Hickok and students of Hickok's history has given rise to the phrase "the coward Jack McCall."-...
for the killing of Wild Bill Hickok
Wild Bill Hickok
James Butler Hickok , better known as Wild Bill Hickok, was a folk hero of the American Old West. His skills as a gunfighter and scout, along with his reputation as a lawman, provided the basis for his fame, although some of his exploits are fictionalized.Hickok came to the West as a stagecoach...
which resulted in the Dakota Territory's first legal hanging, and prepared the Criminal Code adoped by the Territorial Legislature in 1875. He was reappointed by President Rutherford B. Hayes
Rutherford B. Hayes
Rutherford Birchard Hayes was the 19th President of the United States . As president, he oversaw the end of Reconstruction and the United States' entry into the Second Industrial Revolution...
, but his application for a third appointment was opposed by the Yankton
Yankton, South Dakota
Yankton is a city in, and the county seat of, Yankton County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 14,454 at the 2010 census. Yankton was the original capital of Dakota Territory. It is named for the Yankton tribe of Nakota Native Americans...
Bar Association, perhaps in part because he was viewed as a supporter of Governor Nehemiah Ordway. President Chester A. Arthur
Chester A. Arthur
Chester Alan Arthur was the 21st President of the United States . Becoming President after the assassination of President James A. Garfield, Arthur struggled to overcome suspicions of his beginnings as a politician from the New York City Republican machine, succeeding at that task by embracing...
appointed him to a commission negotiating land sales with the Sioux
Sioux
The Sioux are Native American and First Nations people in North America. The term can refer to any ethnic group within the Great Sioux Nation or any of the nation's many language dialects...
, which he served on for a number of years. He signed an 1882 agreement with the Lakota which was never ratified.
In 1883 Shannon was appointed to investigate charges of drunkenness and improper behavior against Everton Conger
Everton Conger
Everton Judson Conger was an American Civil War officer who was instrumental in the capture of John Wilkes Booth, the assassin of President Abraham Lincoln, in a Virginia barn twelve days after Lincoln was shot....
, a judge in Montana Territory
Montana Territory
The Territory of Montana was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 28, 1864, until November 8, 1889, when it was admitted to the Union as the State of Montana.-History:...
; although his report was somewhat sympathetic, it led to Attorney-General Benjamin H. Brewster
Benjamin H. Brewster
Benjamin Harris Brewster was an attorney and politician from New Jersey, who served as United States Attorney General from 1881 to 1885.-Early life:...
recommending his removal. Conger was ultimately restored to office by President Arthur, but only one day before the expiration of his commission. Shannon testified before a Congressional committee about his investigation in March 1884.
Shannon moved to California only a year or two before his death, due to ill health, and died after being injured in a carriage accident.
Shannon County
Shannon County, South Dakota
As of the census of 2000, there were 12,466 people, 2,785 households, and 2,353 families residing in the county. The population density was 6 people per square mile . There were 3,123 housing units at an average density of 2 per square mile...
, South Dakota
South Dakota
South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...
is named in his honor.