Born in County Tyrone, Ireland on May 10, 1810, James Shields died on June 1, 1879, and rests in St. Mary's Cemetery near Carrollton, Missouri. He was a soldier, statesman, jurist, and patriot who served as a brigadier general in the Mexican War and the Civil War, and was associated with Cerro Gordo, Winchester, Chapultepec, and Port Republic. He also served as a United States Senator from Illinois, Missouri, and Minnesota, Governor of Oregon Territory, Commissioner of the U.S. Land Office, and Justice of the Supreme Court of Illinois.