great orator, Oregon historian Ben Maxwell wrote that Shiel was "regarded as the most inconsequential congressman ever sent to Washington from Oregon." Shiel was known as a pro-slavery secessionist, and was a bitter foe of President Abraham Lincoln. After Congress After serving in Congress, Shiel returned to Oregon, where he had a checkered career. He was barred from practicing law for a time as he refused to take the required oath of allegiance. On the night of December 12, 1893, after socializing at the Willamette Hotel (later renamed the Marion Hotel) in Salem, he fell through a railing along the sidewalk into a basement stairwell, breaking his neck and dying almost instantly. Reports vary as to whether Shiel, who had a reputation as a drinker, was drunk at the time. Shiel is buried in Salem Pioneer Cemetery, though his name is misspelled as "Shields" on the tombstone. References External links 1825 births 1893 deaths Accidental deaths in Oregon Accidental deaths from falls Irish emigrants to the United States (before 1923) Burials at Salem Pioneer Cemetery Politicians from Salem, Oregon 19th-century American politicians Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Oregon