Biographies
PETER J. SHIELDS
PETER
J. SHIELDS.--The lineage of the Shields family
indicates a long line of Celtic ancestors and it was not until 1843 that
Patrick Shields transplanted this branch from the Emerald Isle to the shores of
the Atlantic. At the time of emigration he was a man of middle age, frugal,
purposeful and industrious, but handicapped by lack of means. Accompanied by
his wife, Mary, and their sons, he crossed the ocean to the new world and
proceeded to the then undeveloped regions of the Mississippi Valley, where he
took up a tract of government land and entered upon general farming. With the
aid of his boys he transformed a raw tract into a productive farm and
ultimately acquired the title to 210 acres of fertile land, which he had
stocked with a large herd of cattle as well as other stock. His death occurred
in November of 1856, when he was sixty-five years of age. Surviving him were
three sons, of whom Frederick and Dennis sought homes in the undeveloped lands
of Minnesota. The third son, John, was born in Ireland April 26, 1835, but was
brought to America as a child in his mother's arms. In his early manhood, with
a party of adventurous young men, he went to Minnesota, but the gold excitement
called him to California. He left his Illinois home May 4, 1856, landing in San
Francisco on June 14, after an uneventful trip via Panama. For three months
after his arrival he operated a threshing machine for the owner, after which
for eight or ten months he worked at three dollars per day in the mines at
Farmers' Diggings and elsewhere along the American River. The first association
of John Shields with western agriculture occurred in 1857, when he bought a
squatter's right to 324 acres, covered with brush and timber, and containing a
black and sandy loam which proved very productive. The ranch was in Brighton
Township, Sacramento County, thirteen miles from the city of Sacramento, and
bounded on the north by the American River. The original Hangtown
crossing was near his ranch, but later that name was discarded for the present
title of Mills. All of the improvements on the place were made by Mr. Shields,
who about 1879 increased his holdings by the purchase of 100 acres near the
original farm. Twenty acres were planted in a vineyard, and the crops were so
large that it is said about twenty-four tons of grapes were harvested from
three acres in one season. One hundred acres were planted to an orchard of
peaches, pears, plums, and French prunes. November 18, 1859 he married Mrs.
Elizabeth (Bow) Lynch, who was born in Ireland, crossed the ocean to
Massachusetts in early life and in 1855 became a resident of California. They
had a family of five daughters and two sons, namely: Lizzie A., Mrs. M. C.
Pike; Alice; Hannah, who made a specialty of instrumental and vocal music and
rose to a high rank in the profession; Emily; Peter J., the subject of this
sketch; and Robert E. The mother, who possessed unusual ability, made a
specialty of the fruit industry and attained a reputation as one of the most
thorough and prominent orchardists in the entire
state. As an authority on horticulture her advice was sought by people from all
parts of the West. When she died in 1905 the State Fruit Growers' Association
passed suitable resolutions of regret and condolence and alluded to her as
"the fruit queen of California," a title which her wise and
long-continued labors fully justified.
At the old homestead situated on the
American River, Peter J. Shields was born on April 4, 1862. The neighboring
schools afforded him fair advantages. Later he was graduated from the Christian
Brothers College in Sacramento. At the age of eighteen years he took up the
study of the law in the office of A. P. Catlin. Three
years later he was admitted to practice at the bar of the state. With
professional ambitions and youthful hopes he took up the practice of law, only
to find himself forced to abandon practice at the age of twenty-four and to
give attention to the restoration of his health, which had been seriously
injured by over-study. As the best means of physical recuperation he sought
outdoor employment and turned his attention to a careful study of livestock,
with such success that he since has been selected to act as judge in many of
the most important stock shows in the entire country. It is said that his
judgment of an animal is seldom at fault. At a glance he detects their
favorable points as well as the apparently invisible weaknesses which prove a
blemish to their record. During
the period of open-air activities as a means of health restoration, the young
man had not wholly relinquished all identification with city affairs, but still
held the office of trustee of the California State Library, to which at the age
of twenty-three years he had been appointed by Governor Bartlett and in which
his service was so satisfactory that he was again appointed in 1897. When he
returned to Sacramento in 1895 he became a deputy to the state librarian,
filling the position for nine months. During the next two years he served as
secretary of the California code commission, while later for a similar period
he held the private secretaryship to the governor,
during the same period likewise serving as secretary of the State Agricultural
Society. Resuming the practice of law in 1899 as an associate of the Hon. Hiram
W. Johnson, since governor and United States senator from California, he
continued in private practice until in November, 1900, when he was elected
judge of the superior court of Sacramento County by the largest majority ever
given a judge of that county. While a Democrat in politics, he received a
majority of 1,800, the largest ever given up to that time. The first election
was for an unexpired term, after which he was reelected by a very heavy vote,
and then in 1908 he was chosen judge by the largest vote given any candidate on
either side. Judge Shields has continued to be reelected and at the present
time is judge of the superior court, a position he has held since 1900. In the
office of jurist Judge Shields proved impartial and tactful, the possessor of a
profound knowledge of jurisprudence and the exemplifier in his own forceful
character of the ethics of the judicial office. Only an admirable personality
could attain to his popularity and prestige. Democracy, civil duty, and good
government are among the causes that have enlisted his attention. Sincerity of
purpose has directed his conduct in every relation of life and has governed his
official administration of the affairs of his court. Every movement for the upbuilding of the Sacramento Valley has enlisted his
sympathy and he has been particularly helpful in promoting reclamation work.
Educational activities have benefited by his wise participation; and probably
the most important act of his life was his furtherance of the university farm
and school of agriculture, located at Davis. From the first he favored the plan
for such an institution and realized that it could be made most valuable to the
material development of the state. Not only did he aid the cause by forcible
speeches on the subject, but in addition he drew the bill creating such a
school, and through his efforts it was passed by the legislature. In its
present usefulness and future value to state advancement it is now and will
continue to be for years to come a monument to the sagacious efforts of himself and other high-minded, patriotic citizens broad
in vision and prompt in action.
Transcribed by Sally Kaleta.
Source: Reed, G.
Walter, History of Sacramento County,
California With Biographical Sketches, Pages 288-289. Historic Record Company,
© 2006 Sally Kaleta.