Early Life and Career
Shafer was born in New Castle, Pennsylvania, the youngest of the five children of the Rev. David P. Shafer and his wife Mina. In 1933, Shafer's father moved the family to Meadville, Pennsylvania to accept a position as pastor of the First Christian Church. The Shafer family had long roots in Crawford County where the Clark-Shafer Reunion was held until recently when the family has gotten so spread out throughout the country. Shafer became an Eagle Scout and as an adult was presented the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award by the Boy Scouts of America.
After finishing high school in Meadville, Shafer attended Allegheny College, where he was a member of Phi Kappa Psi Fraternity, and later Yale Law School. There, several classmates, such as William Scranton and Gerald Ford, would help shape his future political career.
In 1942, Shafer entered the United States Navy as a Naval intelligence officer and later served on PT Boats. He would participate in over 80 combat missions during World War II on PT Boats as commanding officer of PT-359 and later as executive officer of Squadron 27. As Squadron XO, Shafer sailed aboard PT-375, one of the first PT Boats to penetrate the defenses of Manila Bay. Shafer earned the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart during his tour in the Pacific theater.
Shafer returned to Meadville after the war and entered private law practice. His political career began in 1948 when he was elected District Attorney of Crawford County. In 1958, he was elected to the State Senate.
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