The Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans: Volume IX
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Shelley, Charles Miller
SHELLABARGER, Samuel, representative, was born in Clark county, Ohio, Dec. 10, 1817; maternal grandson of Thomas McCurdy of Belfast, Ireland, and —— (Adams) McCurdy of Amboy, N.J., and a descendant of Rudolph Schallenberger, one of the thirty-three founders of the Swiss League against Austria on Nov. 8, 1307, and joint owner of Schallenberg mountain. He was graduated at Miami university, Ohio, A.B., 1841, A.M., 1844: adopted the legal profession and practised in Springfield, Ohio, 1846–60. He was a representative in the fiftieth Ohio legislature. 1852–54; represented the eighth Ohio district in the 37th congress, 1861–63; the seventh district in the 39th, 40th and 42d congresses, 1865–69 and 1871–73, and served on special committees, on civil service, New Orleans riots, and assassination of President Lincoln, and as chairman of the committee on the provost-marshal's bureau and on commerce. He was a delegate to the Philadelphia Loyalists' convention, 1866; U.S. minister to Portugal, 1869–71, and a civil service commissioner, 1874–75, by appointment of President Grant. He became a law partner of Jeremiah Wilson in 1875, and the firm practised in Washington, D.C., 1875–96, being attorneys for the Union Pacific railroad. He received the honorary degree of LL.D. for Miami in 1891. He died in Washington, D.C., Aug. 6, 1896.
