Henry Shaw (1788 - October 17, 1857) was a U.S. Representative from Massachusetts, son of Samuel Shaw. Born near Putney, Vermont, Shaw completed preparatory studies. He studied law, was admitted to the bar and commenced practice in Albany, New York, in 1810. He moved to Lanesboro, Massachusetts, in 1813.
Shaw was elected as a Democratic-Republican to the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Congresses (March 4, 1817-March 3, 1821), but was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1820. He served as member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives, and served in the Massachusetts State Senate.
He was an unsuccessful candidate for Governor of Massachusetts and moved to New York City in 1848. He served as a member of that city's Board of Education, and was a member of the Common Council. He served as a member of the New York State Assembly. Shaw moved to Newburgh, New York in 1854, and died in Peekskill, New York on October 17, 1857.[1] He was interred in the Lower Cemetery, Lanesboro, Massachusetts.
Shaw's son Henry Wheeler Shaw became a well-known humorist under the pen name Josh Billings.[2]