Lemuel Shaw (January 9, 1781 - March 30, 1861) was an American jurist who served as Chief Justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (1830-1860). Prior to his appointment he also served for several years in the Massachusetts House of Representatives and as a state senator. In 1847 Shaw became the father-in-law of author Herman Melville.... Herman Melville (August 1, 1819 - September 28, 1891) was an American novelist, short story writer, and poet of the American Renaissance period. His best known works include Typee (1846), a romantic account of his experiences in Polynesian life,...