SHAFTER, Oscar Lovell, jurist, born in Athens, Vermont, 19 October, 1812; died in Florence, Italy, 23 January. 1873. His grandfather, James Shafter, fought at. Bunker Hill, Bennington, and Saratoga, and for twenty-five years served in the Vermont legislature; and his father was county judge, a member of the Constitutional convention of 1836, and of the legislature. After graduation at Wesleyan university, Middletown, Connecticut, in 1834, Oscar studied law at Harvard, was admitted to the bar, and began to practise in Wilmington, Vermont, in 1836. In 1854 he removed to California, and practised his profession there until 1864, when he became associate justice of the state supreme court for a term of ten years : but he resigned this post in 1867, owing to impaired health, and resided in Europe until his death.--His brother, James McMillan, lawyer, born in Athens, Windham County, Vermont, 27 May, 1816, was graduated at Wesleyan university in 1837, and at Yale law-school in 1839. He was admitted to the bar in 1840, practised law in Townsend and Burlington, Vermont, served in the legislature, and in 1842-'9 was secretary of state. Removing to Wisconsin in 1849, he served in the legislature, was its speaker, and in 1852 was a defeated candidate for congress. In 1852 lie removed to California, and, in connection with his brother and others, formed the law-partnership of Shafters, Park, and Heydenfeldt, and subsequently became associated with James M. Seawell. He served in the California senate in 1861-'2 and again in 1863-'4, when he was made president pro tempore. He was a member of the convention that adopted the present constitution of California. Mr. Shafter owns twelve of the finest dairy ranches in the state. He is a trustee of the Leland Stanford, Jr., university at Pate Alto, California.