James Shields James Shields ( May 10 , 1810June 1 , 1879 ) was an American politician and United States Army officer who was born in Altmore , County Tyrone , Ireland . Shields , a Democrat , is the only person in United States history to serve as a U . S . Senator for three different states . Shields was a senator from Illinois 1849 to 1855 , in the 31st , 32nd , and 33rd congresses , from Minnesota from May 11 , 1858 to March 4 , 1859 , in the 35th congress , and from Missouri from January 27 , 1879 to March 4 , 1879 , in the 45th congress . Early life and career . A descendant of the Ó Siadhail clan , Shields was the nephew of another James Shields , also born in Ireland , who was a Congressman from Ohio . The younger Shields immigrated to the United States around 1826 and settled in Kaskaskia , Randolph County , Illinois where he studied and later practiced law . He served as a member of the Illinois House of Representatives , beginning to serve in 1836 , and then as an Illinois Supreme Court justice and in 1839 as the state auditor . ( He was elected when not yet a citizen ; Illinois then required only that a legislator have been " resident " in the state for six months . ) Shields nearly fought a duel with Abraham Lincoln on September 22 , 1842 . Lincoln had published an inflammatory letter in a Springfield , Illinois , newspaper , the " Sangamon Journal " that poked fun at Shields , the State Auditor . Lincoln ' s future wife and her close friend , continued writing letters about Shields without his knowledge . Taking offense to the articles , Shields demanded " satisfaction " and the incident escalated to the two parties meeting on a Missouri island called Sunflower Island , near Alton , Illinois to participate in a duel . Lincoln took responsibility for the articles and accepted the duel . Just prior to engaging in combat , Lincoln made it a point to demonstrate his advantage by easily cutting a branch just above Shields ' head , the two participants ' seconds intervened and were able to convince the two men to cease hostilities , on the grounds that Lincoln had not written the letters . Subsequently , Shields served as a Judge of the Illinois Supreme Court , and as Commissioner of the U . S . General Land Office . On July 1 , 1846 , he was commissioned a brigadier general of volunteers to fight in the Mexican - American War . He served under Zachary Taylor along the Rio Grande . He commanded the 3rd Brigade , Volunteer Division , at the battles of Vera Cruz and Cerro Gordo , where he was wounded . He returned to fight at the battles of Contreras and Churubusco , his brigade now part of the 4th Division . He was again wounded at the Battle of Chapultepec . Following the war , on August 14 , 1848 , he was nominated by President Polk , and confirmed by the United States Senate to serve as governor of Oregon Territory that was created that same day . However , he declined the position and Joseph Lane was nominated and became the first governor of the new territory . He resigned to run for the Senate from Illinois . His election was voided by the Senate on the grounds that he had not been a United States citizen for the nine years required by the United States Constitution ; having been naturalized October 21 , 1840 . He returned to Illinois and campaigned for re - election , and won the special election to replace himself , and was then seated . In 1855 , he was defeated for re - election , so he moved to Minnesota . He was elected as one of the two first Senators from that state , but his term was only from 1858 to 1859 , and he was again not re - elected . He was the editor of the 1854 book , " A History of Illinois , from its Commencement as a State in 1818 to 1847 Civil War and later career . Shields then moved to California and served as a brigadier general of volunteers from that state during the American Civil War . He commanded the 2nd Division of the V Corps , Army of the Potomac ( subsequently part of the Army of the Shenandoah ) , during the Valley Campaign of 1862 . He was wounded at the Battle of Kernstown on March 22 , 1862 , but his troops inflicted the only tactical defeat of General Thomas J . " Stonewall " Jackson during the campaign ( or the war ) . The day after Kernstown , he was promoted to major general , but the promotion was withdrawn , reconsidered , and then finally rejected . His overall performance in the rest of the Valley Campaign was poor enough that he resigned his commission , and his departure was not resisted by the War Department . In 1863 he moved to Mexico and operated mines , and then to Wisconsin , but in 1866 moved to Missouri , where he served as member of the Missouri State House of Representatives , and as railroad commissioner . In 1879 , he was elected to fill the seat left vacant by the death of Senator Lewis V . Bogy . He served only three months and declined to run for re - election . Shields died in Ottumwa , Iowa . He is buried in St . Mary ' s Cemetery , Carrollton , Missouri . He represents Illinois in the National Statuary Hall .