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 was an unsuccessful candidate for Governor of Massachusetts in 1845[1] and moved to New York City in 1848.
[2] He was interred in the Lower Cemetery, Lanesboro, Massachusetts.
His son Henry Wheeler Shaw (1818–1885) became a well-known humorist under the pen name Josh Billings.