[1] The son of William Shea and Ellen Cleary, he was born in St. John's and was educated there.
Shea was defeated when he ran for a Harbour Main seat later that year.
[1] He was an unsuccessful candidate for the St. John's West seat in the Canadian House of Commons in 1972, running as an independent.
He operated a convenience store in St. John's during the 1970s and then ran a takeout restaurant, retiring in 1990.
[1] Comedian Rick Mercer's first job was peeling potatoes at Shea's takeout restaurant, known as Hamburger Hell.