Matthias Shepler

Matthias Shepler (November 11, 1790 – April 7, 1863) was a U.S. Representative from Ohio who served one term in Congress from 1837 to 1839. He was born on November 11, 1790, in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. His formal education was limited, and like many men of his generation on the early American frontier, he largely educated himself through practical experience and community involvement.

As a young man, Shepler served in the War of 1812, participating in the nation’s second conflict with Great Britain during a formative period in United States history. In April 1818 he moved west to Ohio and settled in Bethlehem Township, Stark County. There he engaged in agricultural pursuits, establishing himself as a farmer and landowner in a growing region of the state. His standing in the community led to his long tenure in local public office.

Shepler’s public career began at the local level, where he served as a justice of the peace for thirty years, reflecting sustained trust from his neighbors in his judgment and integrity. He also served two terms as a county commissioner, helping to oversee local governance and infrastructure in Stark County. His experience in local office led to election to the Ohio House of Representatives in 1829, where he participated in state legislative affairs. He later advanced to the Ohio Senate, serving there in 1832 and contributing to the development of state policy during a period of rapid growth and political change in Ohio.

A member of the Democratic Party, Shepler was elected to the United States House of Representatives as a Democrat to the Twenty-fifth Congress, serving from March 4, 1837, to March 3, 1839. He represented his Ohio constituency during a significant period in American history marked by economic turmoil following the Panic of 1837 and intense debates over federal policy. In Congress he served as chairman of the Committee on Revisal and Unfinished Business, a position that placed him at the center of efforts to manage and complete pending legislative matters. He defeated Whig candidate Samuel Quinby in his election to Congress, reflecting the partisan competition of the era. After one term, Shepler declined to be a candidate for renomination in 1838, returning to private life and local affairs after his service in the national legislature.

Shepler’s personal life was closely tied to his community and his church. He married Elizabeth Retan in 1816, prior to his move to Ohio. They had one son, John R. Shepler. After Elizabeth’s death in 1837, he married Sarah (née Sherman) Linerade, the widow of Otho Linerade and daughter of John Sherman. Matthias and Sarah Shepler had no children together. His son, John R. Shepler, married Elizabeth Bechtel, and they had six children, extending the Shepler family line in Ohio. Matthias Shepler was a member of the Church of the United Brethren in Christ, reflecting his religious commitments and the importance of church life in his community.

In his later years, Shepler remained in Stark County, continuing to be identified with the region where he had long lived and served. In 1860 he moved to Navarre, Ohio, a village in Stark County not far from his earlier home in Bethlehem Township. He died in Navarre on April 7, 1863. Matthias Shepler was interred in Shepler Church Cemetery near Navarre, Ohio, a burial place that bears his family name and underscores his longstanding connection to the area he helped to settle and represent.