John G. Shields (11th Mayor of Dubuque) 1855

SHIELDS

Posted By: Cheryl Locher Moonen (email)
Date: 12/26/2016 at 23:32:09

SHIELDS, John G. (Grayson Co., KY, May 22, 1811-1856). MAYOR. The partnership of Edward D. Emerson and Shields in lumber, pork packing, and mercantile business became one of the most widely recognized business arrangements in Dubuque of the early 1800s. (1) In 1833 he was one of the principal developers of the CITY HOTEL.

In 1852, to combat Dubuque's loss in river business to Galena, Shields and Jesse P. FARLEY bought and launched into the St. Paul to St. Louis trade the steamers, "Lamartine" and "Excelsior." Following the renegade Indian slaughter of settlers in the Spirit Lake Massacre of 1853, Shields was appointed the senior Major General of the militia of Iowa by the governor. Shields was later elected to four years in the Iowa Senate when the Dubuque District included thirteen northeastern counties. He was elected mayor of Dubuque in 1855.

During his term of office, Shields rejected a second term, the first city gas lamps were erected April 23, 1855, one at the corner of Main and Fifth streets being the first in front of the Globe building. C. C. Childs issued a city directory this year. George Wallace JONES asked to have Lorimier Hollow Road widened and the name changed to Appian Way. Alderman Samuels objected and had the street named Julien Avenue. ALLAN LEATHERS was granted exclusive omnibus privileges; he ran a bus every thirty minutes the whole length of Main street. In 1855 the city council passed an ordinance against steamboats receiving or discharging freight here on Sundays; many objected to this ordinance. In June, 1855, the council appropriated $500 to celebrate the completion of the railroad to Dunleith and the introduction of gas in the city. In 1855 the bodies in the old cemetery were removed by H. Krohl to the new cemetery. In 1855 the mayor who had no veto power was granted the right to file his objections to any act he was compelled to sign. There was much complaint in 1855 because the council did not take definite action concerning the public schools. Action against liquor dealers who violated the Iowa prohibitory law was taken in July, 1855, by the seizure of liquors. In a vote for the issuance of $100,000 in city bonds for general improvements the result was ninety-seven for the loan and forty-seven against it —a very light and unsatisfactory vote. The measure carried, being over two-thirds of all the votes polled.

The city and county of Dubuque have negotiated a loan of $400,000 by Marie and Kanz, of New York, and F. S. Jesup & Co., of Dubuque. The loan was made to pay the subscriptions of the city and
county to the Dubuque & Pacific Railroad. The
coupons are payable in Berlin, Prussia, and the bonds bear 8 per cent interest. They are guaranteed
by an equal amount of the stock of the road. Enterprise & Herald, November, 1855. Graded common schools were established. The policy of having the city pay half the cost of paving the streets in vogue here was ridiculed and denounced here in December, 1855. It was demanded that the lot owners should pay the whole cost in proportion to their frontages.

The post office in 1855 was only eighteen or nineteen feet wide and at the rush hours people had to wait in line to get their mail, so great had become the business of the office. This room had been occupied in the spring of 1855 and was on Sixth street on what was called the "public square." Numerous sites were discussed at this time — land owned by General Jones, L. Molony's lot, Jesup & Co.'s, the new concert hall in the proposed new city hall at Sixth and Locust streets, and elsewhere.Farley and others petitioned to have the old cemetery converted into a public park. New market grounds were secured in January, 1856, at Iowa and Clay streets — the present city hall now stands on these lots. On January 15 a water works ordinance passed the council. In March the islands were ordered surveyed and platted.
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