Bust of General James Shields, (sculpture).

Bust of General James Shields, (sculpture).

Connor, Jerome, 1876-1943, sculptor.

Missouri Red Granite Monument Company, fabricator.

Bust of General James Shields, (sculpture).

Dedicated Nov. 12, 1910.

Bust: bronze; Pedestal: Missouri red granite; Seals and insignia: bronze.

Bust: approx. 3 ft. 6 in. x 2 ft. 9 in. x 2 ft. 3 in.; Pedestal: approx. 9 ft. x 7 ft. 6 in. x 6 ft. 8 in. (800 lbs.).

JEROME CONNER (sic) .SC. J. ARTHUR LIMERICK FOUNDRY (Front of pedestal:) GENERAL/JAMES SHIELDS/BORN IN COUNTY TYRONE/IRELAND MAY 10 . 1810/DIED IN OTTUMA . IOWA/JUNE 1 . 1879/SOLDIER/JURIST/STATESMAN/(insignia)/ERECTED BY THE UNITED STATES UNDER AN ACT/OF THE CONGRESS APPROVED MARCH 15 . 1910 (Side of pedestal, incised lettering:) CERRO GORDO/CHAPULTEPEC (Rear of pedestal, incised lettering:) UNITED STATES/SENATOR FROM/ILLINOIS/MINNESOTA/AND/MISSOURI (Other side of pedestal, incised lettering:) WINCHESTER/PORT REPUBLIC signed Founder's mark appears.

Bust of General James Shields, depicted as an older man. He wears a military uniform and has a moustache, his head tilted up as he looks slightly to the proper right. The bust is mounted upon a tall, multitiered, pedestal of polished Missouri red granite with a bronze insignia of the United States on the lower front. On the lower rear of the pedestal is a bronze relief of a palm frond with the State seals of Illinois, Minnesota, and Missouri. Several gravestones of members of the Shields family are placed around the monument.

Portrait male -- Shields, James -- Bust

Occupation -- Military -- Brigadier General

Occupation -- Political -- State Senator

Occupation -- Political -- Governor

Occupation -- Law -- Lawyer

Occupation -- Political -- Statesman

Dress -- Uniform -- Military Uniform

Outdoor Sculpture -- Missouri -- Carrollton

St. Mary's Catholic Cemetery, State Highway 65, just outside of Carrollton, Carrollton, Missouri 64633

Monument marks the grave of Brigadier General James Shields (1806-1879), an Irish-born soldier, statesman, and jurist, who fought in the Mexican and Civil Wars and had the distinction of being the only man to represent three states in the United States Senate: Illinois, Minnesota, and Missouri. Shields had a multifaceted political career that additionally included some of the following positions: State Auditor of Illinois; Justice of the Supreme Court of Illinois; appointed Commissioner of Lands by President Polk; Governor of the Oregon Territory. The monument was erected through a Memorial Association, and placed by an Act of Congress, approved March 15, 1910. It is believed to be the only monument placed in a private cemetery by an Act of Congress. The pedestal was fabricated by the Missouri Red Granite Company of St. Louis; bronze work cast by J. Arthur Limerick Company. Names of battles on pedestal are those that Shields fought in. Family research subsequent to erection of monument has uncovered birth date of May 12, 1806, rather than 1810 as listed on the monument.

IAS files contain the following: invitation to the dedication; newspaper articles from the Carrollton Daily Democrat, Nov. 13, 1910, and The Republican Record (Carrollton, MO), Nov. 17, 1910, each with discussion of the dedication; excerpt from Sarah Guitar's "Missouri Historical Review, 1924-25," pg. 565; two articles with biographical information about General Shields.

Save Outdoor Sculpture, Missouri survey, 1995.

The Republican Record (Carrollton, MO), Nov. 17, 1910.

The information provided about this artwork was compiled as part of the Smithsonian American Art Museum's Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture database, designed to provide descriptive and location information on artworks by American artists in public and private collections worldwide.

Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture, Smithsonian American Art Museum, P.O. Box 37012, MRC 970, Washington, D.C. 20013-7012

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