He was the mayor of Philadelphia from 1769 to 1771 and served in various positions in the city including councilman, member of the Provincial Assembly, Justice of the Peace and treasurer from 1755 to 1778.
[2] The Treaty of Paris ended the American Revolution in September 1783 and, in November of that year, the British Army withdrew from New York.
Because of his loyalism, Shoemaker was considered to have committed treason and, as a result, much of his property was seized by the American government in 1783 and sold.
[1][6] While in England, he became friends with Benjamin West, a Pennsylvania-born artist known for his scenes including, The Death of Nelson.
Shoemaker's diary recorded a meeting with King George III that West arranged.
[1] Their home, now known as Laurel Hill Mansion still stands in east Fairmount Park and is on the National Register of Historic Places.