The Obscure Shafter Dynasty (part 1)
Shafter may not ring like Vanderbilt or Rockefeller or Kennedy — those classic American dynasties. Today, Shafter is an obscure name relegated to a street sign or long-forgotten court case. Wherever you live in the United States, you might find a street or town named Shafter. I only know of one statue. But for well over one hundred years, several generations of Shafters epitomized wealth and power. Technically, they were a dynasty. However, I doubt even they realized it.
In social circles of the 1800s, each Shafter quietly stood on his own achievements. A self-made man. It was their wit, grit, and perseverance. Traits that were obvious from a young age, he (or her, supporting her equally self-made husband) put in the hard work and honest effort that was handsomely rewarded. Or so the myth goes.
In an article about the myth of the self-made man, Slate Magazine credits Benjamin Franklin with establishing this concept in America:
“And yet the founding of a nation, and even the mastery of electricity, paled in comparison to Franklin’s most ingenious invention: the idea that a man could make his own fortune in the world, regardless of his station, if he put in the work.”
That’s not meant to detract from their achievements. What follows is merely an observation of certain coincidences that may have provided certain advantages.
A Select List of Men Named Shafter
- James Shafter — seven-term member of Vermont Legislature from 1786 to 1813
- William Rufus Shafter (son) — attorney, county judge, and member of Vermont Legislature from 1828 to 1830
- James M. Shafter (grandson) — one-term member of Vermont Legislature, Vermont Secretary of State, speaker of Wisconsin State Assembly, served as president pro tempore of California State Senate, judge on San Francisco County Superior Court, and law partner with his brother
- Oscar L. Shafter (grandson) — one-term member of Vermont Legislature, unsuccessful runs for U.S. Representative and Vermont Governor, associate justice on California Supreme Court, and law partner with his brother
- William Rufus Shafter (great grandson) — hero of the Civil War (captain) and Spanish-American War (general)
General Shafter was born in Galesburg, Michigan (as was I), where there’s a statue commemorating his wartime accomplishments. This obscure dynasty may have started in Vermont, but it’s buried in California. General Shafter is buried in the Presidio in San Francisco; James M., is buried in nearby San Mateo County, and Oscar Shafter is buried in Oakland (near where I now live).
Many of the Shafter descendants were women, extending the dynasty through the in-laws.
A Select List of People Not Named Shafter
- Epaphroditus Ransom — 7th Governor of Michigan
- William Howard Taft — President of the United States
- Cyrus Lovell — served as the Speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives, 1856
- Charles Webb Howard — president of Spring Valley Water Company, San Francisco
The in-laws were from neighboring towns but, more specifically, were children of members of the Vermont Legislature. During the time when James Shafter was representing Athens, Samuel Fletcher and then Ezekial Ransom represented nearby Townshend. Fletcher’s daughter married Ezekial. Their son (Roswell Ransom) would marry James’ daughter (Wealthy Lauretta Shafter) and their son (Epaphroditus Ransom, in the list above) would become Governor of Michigan.
Chapin Howard would also serve in the Vermont Legislature; his maternal grandfather was a general in the Revolutionary War. Aaron Taft served under Gen. Chapin, and Aaron’s son, Peter Rawson Taft would also serve in the Vermont Legislature. The middle name, Rawson, traces back to Edward Rawson who was the secretary of the Massachusetts Bay Colony for thirty-five years. Peter was considered the patriarch of the Taft family political dynasty that lasted nearly 200 years.
Peter married Chapin Howard’s sister (Sylvia Howard). Peter’s son, Alphonso Taft, became the U.S. Secretary of War, and U.S. Attorney General. Peter’s grandson, William Howard Taft (in the list above) became the President of the United States. He was also the only President to serve as Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court.
James Shafter’s son, William, married Mary Louisa Lovell. Her brother, Willard, married Zerviah Taft who was Peter Rawson Taft’s sister. Willard’s brother was Cyrus Lovell (in the list above).
I’ve yet to connect Sylvia Howard and Chapin Howard to Charles Webb Howard (in the list above), but William Shafter’s granddaughter (Emma Shafter) would marry him. Willard’s other brother, Don, married James’ other daughter, Mary (whose son would become a judge in Michigan).
Perhaps it’s more accurate to describe the Shafter family as linkages between less obscure dynasties. Nonetheless, many entertaining stories result with clusters around southern Vermont, Oakland, CA, Galesburg, MI, and West Texas.
Those stories will follow.
