Representative George Bullen Shaw

George Bullen Shaw (March 12, 1854 – August 27, 1894) was an American politician, businessman, and lumberman who served as a Republican Representative from Wisconsin in the United States Congress from 1893 until his death in 1894. Representing the 7th congressional district of Wisconsin in the 53rd United States Congress, he completed one term in office and contributed to the legislative process during a significant period in American history, participating in the democratic process and representing the interests of his constituents.

Shaw was born in Alma, New York, on March 12, 1854, to Daniel Shaw and Ann Foster Hutchins. In 1856 he moved with his father to Eau Claire, Wisconsin, a growing lumber center that would shape his later business and political career. Raised in Eau Claire, he was educated in the city’s public schools, reflecting the emerging public education system in the post–Civil War Midwest.

Pursuing further education in business, Shaw attended the International Business College in Chicago, Illinois, from which he graduated in 1871. This training prepared him for a career in commerce and management at a time when the lumber industry was central to the economic development of Wisconsin and the upper Midwest. His education in Chicago connected him with broader commercial practices that he later applied in his family’s enterprises.

In 1874 Shaw entered his father’s lumber manufacturing business, the Daniel Shaw Lumber Company, one of the important firms in the Eau Claire region. He served in various capacities within the company, including as secretary, and became known as a businessman and lumberman. His work in the lumber trade placed him among the prominent commercial figures of Eau Claire and provided the economic and social foundation for his later public service.

Shaw’s political career began at the local level. He served as a member of the common council of Eau Claire from 1876 to 1887, participating in municipal governance for more than a decade during a period of rapid urban and industrial growth. Building on this experience, he was elected mayor of Eau Claire, serving two consecutive terms in 1888 and 1889. His growing prominence in Republican politics was further demonstrated when he served as a delegate to the Republican National Convention in 1884, aligning himself with national party affairs. Beyond elective office, Shaw was active in fraternal and civic organizations; notably, he served as Supreme Chancellor of the Knights of Pythias, a major fraternal order, from July 1890 to August 1892, a position that gave him national visibility and leadership experience.

In the 1892 elections, Shaw was elected as a Republican to represent Wisconsin’s 7th congressional district in the 53rd United States Congress. His term began on March 4, 1893, and he served until his death in office on August 27, 1894. His tenure coincided with a significant period in American history marked by economic turmoil, including the Panic of 1893, and intense debates over monetary policy, tariffs, and industrial regulation. As a member of the House of Representatives, Shaw participated in the legislative process and represented the interests of his district’s constituents, which included many involved in lumbering and related industries. During his time in Congress, records indicate that he missed 72 percent of the 325 roll call votes taken from August 1893 to August 1894, suggesting health or other difficulties that affected his participation in floor proceedings.

In his personal life, Shaw was married to Josephine M. Bletcher, and the couple had two children. His family life in Eau Claire paralleled his business and political careers, and he remained closely tied to the community in which he had grown up and built his professional reputation.

George Bullen Shaw died at the age of 40 in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, on August 27, 1894, while still serving in Congress, placing him among the members of the United States Congress who died in office in the nineteenth century. He was interred in Lake View Cemetery in Eau Claire. His career reflected the trajectory of a local businessman rising through municipal office to national service, rooted in the economic and civic life of Wisconsin’s lumber region.