Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography/Shea, John Augustus

SHEA, John Augustus (i-hay). author, b. in Cork, Ireland, in 1802; d. in New York, 15 Aug., 1845. He emigrated to this country in 1827, and engaged in journalism. He published " Rudekki. an Eastern Romance of the Seventh Century, in Verse" (Cork, 1826); "Adolph, and other Poems" (New York, 1831); "Parnassian Wild Flowers" (Georgetown, 1836); and "Clontarf, a Narrative Poem" (New York. 1843). A volume of his "Poems" was published after his death by his son, George Augustus Shea (1846). He left in manuscript "Di Vasari," an unfinished tragedy, a life of Byron, and a poem entitled "Time's Mission." His most popular piece is "The Ocean." His son, George, lawyer, b. in Cork, 10 June, 1826 ; d. in New York city, 15 Jan., 1895, emigrated to the United States in early life and settled in New York. After being called to the bar, he attained distinc- tion in his profession, and was appointed corpora- tion attorney of New York from 1865 to 1867. He became chief justice of the Marine court of New York in 1870, and held the position up to 1882. He was associate counsel with Charles O'Conor in de- fending Jefferson Davis, and was counsel for the Kings county elevated railroad in Brooklyn, estab- lishing its charter by a decision of the court of ap- peals, reversing the special and general terms in Brooklyn. He wrote "Hamilton, a Historical Study " (New York, 1877). An enlarged edition w a> issued under the title " The Life and Epoch of Alex- ander Hamilton, a Historical Study " (Boston, 1880).