Oscar Leslie Shepard (March 24, 1894 – November 23, 1980) was a politician and lawyer in Hardwick, Vermont, who served as Speaker of the Vermont House of Representatives.
Biography Oscar Leslie Shepard was born in Albany, Vermont, on March 24, 1894, and was raised in Hardwick.World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 Record for Oscar Leslie Shepard, accessed via Ancestry.com, March 3, 2012U.S. World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942 Record for Oscar Leslie Shepard, accessed via Ancestry.com, March 3, 2012 Shepard graduated from Hardwick Academy and attended Lowell Commercial College in Lowell, Massachusetts. After his 1914 graduation, Shepard became employed by a Hardwick law firm.
He enlisted in the Army for World War I. Shepard served at the United States Department of War in Procurement Division of the Ordnance Corps from his February, 1918 enlistment until his January, 1919 discharge, and attained the rank of Corporal.Roster of Vermont Men and Women in the World War, published by Herbert T. Johnston, Vermont Adjutant General, 1927, page 1166
After returning from his military service Shepard studied law with his employer, attained admission to the bar, and became a lawyer in Hardwick. From 1925 to 1933 Shepard served as Caledonia County State's Attorney.Vermont Legislative Directory and State Manual, published by Vermont Secretary of State, 1941, page 642
Shepard was a Hardwick Village Trustee from 1933 to 1952 and Town Meeting Moderator from 1934 to 1955.American legislative leaders in the Northeast, 1911-1994, by James Roger Sharp and Nancy Weatherly Sharp, 2000, page 194
In 1936 Shepard was elected to the Vermont House of Representatives and served two terms. He was Speaker from 1939 to 1941.Newspaper article, Contest for Speaker Stirs Vermont's Political Interest, Christian Science Monitor, November 15, 1938
In 1940, Shepard was an unsuccessful candidate for lieutenant governor, losing the Republican primary to Mortimer R. Proctor.Newspaper article, To be Candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Vermont, by Associated Press, published in Portsmouth Herald, January 8, 1940The Star That Set: The Vermont Republican Party, 1854-1974, by Samuel B. Hand, 2003, page 159, by Vermont Secretary of State, Archives and Records Administration, 2006, page 1 From 1941 to 1945 he served on the Vermont Banking Board., by Vermont Secretary of State, Archives and Records Administration, 2012, page 7 When Proctor became governor in 1945 he appointed Shepard as his executive assistant.Vermont Year Book, Formerly Walton's Register, published by E. P. & G. S. Walton (Montpelier), 1945, page 10.
In the 1950s Shepard served as chairman of the Vermont Public Service Commission.Newspaper article, Power Allocation Draws Fire From Shortchanged, by Associated Press, published in Bennington Banner, October 25, 1957Newspaper article, PSC Official Says Letter Not Improper, by Associated Press, published in Bennington Banner, October 2, 1958Newspaper article, Partial Rate Hike Allowed Phone Company, by Associated Press, published in Bennington Banner, January 11, 1960
Shepard died in Morrisville, Vermont, aged 86, on November 23, 1980, and was buried in Morrisville's Pleasant View Cemetery.Vermont Death Records, 1909-2008, entry for Oscar L. Shepard, accessed via Ancestry.com, March 3, 2012Social Security Death Index, entry for Oscar L. Shepard, accessed via Ancestry.com, March 3, 2012
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