Oliver Perry Shiras

Oliver Perry Shiras (October 22, 1833 – January 7, 1916) was the first United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Iowa. Education and career Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Shiras received an Artium Baccalaureus degree in 1853, and an Artium Magister degree in 1856 from Ohio University, and a Bachelor of Laws from Yale Law School in 1856. Relocating to Iowa in 1856, he went into private practice in Dubuque. During the American Civil War, he was in the United States Army, where he served as a First Lieutenant in the JAG Corps from 1862 to 1863. He also served as a Dubuque city councilman. Federal judicial service