BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES

Members of the Senate of 1908.

Allegany County—JOHN BENJAMIN SHANNON, Democrat—
Frostburg.

Mr. John Benjamin Shannon was born November 7, 1865, in
Springfield, Hampshire county, W. Va. His father was the late
Justice Benjamin Shannon, who served the people of his district
in that office for about 40 years. His mother was the late
Catherine Chadwick Shannon. Mr. Shannon was liberally
educated in the public schools of his native State—a course
supplemented by one of two years under the tutelage of Rev.
Dr. Thomas G. Nevitt, principal of a private school at Spring-
field. After a year's experience in teaching school, Mr. Shan-
non entered the service of Messrs. Daniel Annan and L. M.
Shepherd, of Cumberland, this State, and sold dry goods at
Keyser, W. Va.

In 1886 he was employed by Howett, Warner & Co., of
Philadelphia, Pa., with whom he remained about two years,
until 1888, when he established his present retail shoe business
in Frostburg, this State. Several years ago Mr. Shannon was
elected vice-president of the Maryland Shoe Company, of Cum-
berland, Md., and for the past seven years has been a
director of the Leatherbury Shoe Company, of Clarksburg,
W. Va., one of the' most extensive wholesale shoe houses
in that State. His business career, conducted along conservative
and safe lines, has been one of satisfactory success. Since his
majority Mr. Shannon has shown much interest in political
matters, particularly in Allegany county. As chairman of the
County Democratic Committee he had charge of several cam-
paigns—a task of no small magnitude when undertaken against
heavy odds. But the work afforded him opportunity to become
popular, as is his wont, so much so that several years ago the
Democrats of the county nominated and elected him Register
of Wills by a majority of about 1200. This triumph was doubly
distinguished in the fact that he was the only Democrat on the