Vernon S. Shaffer
| Vernon S. Shaffer | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Virginia House of Delegates from Shenandoah County, Virginia | |
|
In office January , 1950 – May 3, 1958 |
|
| Preceded by | William C. Lambert |
| Succeeded by | Wilbur O. Riley |
| Personal details | |
| Born | February 20, 1884 Page County, Virginia, U.S. |
| Died | May 3, 1958 , Virginia, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Mary Leah Stover |
| Alma mater | Massanutten Academy |
Vernon Spitler Shaffer (February 20, 1884 – May 3, 1958) was an American farmer and Republican politician who represented Shenandoah County part-time in the Virginia House of Delegates from 1950 until his death in 1958.
Shaffer was born in Page County, Virginia and educated in its public schools. He married Mary Leah Stover (1885–1973) and they lived in Maurertown, Virginia in the Shenandoah Valley region. They had at least two sons: William Robert Shaffer (1916-pre-2001) and John Vernon Shaffer (1924–2001).
A chicken farmer and Republican, Shaffer was president of the Shenandoah Commercial Hatchery, Inc. He also served on the Virginia World War II Memorial Commission. His eldest son William Robert Shaffer of represented Shenandoah County in the House of Delegates from 1942 until 1947, when fellow Republican (and poultry dealer) William C. Lambert took over for a term. His younger son John Vernon Shaffer continued the family business and civic traditions, but joined the Presbyterian church.
Shenandoah County voters elected Vernon S. Shaffer their delegate to the Virginia General Assembly in November 1949, so he assumed that office in January. He was re-elected in 1951, 1953, 1955 and 1957. During his last three terms, the Massive Resistance crisis embroiled Virginia because the Byrd Organization (to which most state Democrats belonged, unofficially) followed the lead of U.S. Senator Harry F. Byrd, who refused to allow desegregation of Virginia's schools despite the U.S. Supreme Court's decisions in Brown v. Board of Education in 1954 and 1955. Although greatly outnumbered by Democrats (especially Byrd Democrats), Shaffer's and Republican state senator Ted Dalton's voices were among the few moderates during the 1956 legislative session that narrowly rejected an interposition resolution and later in the special legislative session that ultimately adopted the Stanley plan.
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