Shields, James (1806?-1879), served as governor of the Oregon Territory and as a brigadier general of volunteers in the Mexican and Civil wars. A Democrat, he also served as a U.S. senator from Illinois, Minnesota, and Missouri. He was born in County Tyrone, Ireland. He came to the United States in 1826. He died on June 1, 1879. Illinois placed a statue of Shields in the U.S. Capitol in 1893.
