Robert Gould Shaw II

Robert Gould Shaw II was an American banker and Yale University alumnus. He was born on October 3, 1872, in New York City, to Francis George Shaw, a lawyer, and Sarah Sturgis (Faithful) Shaw. He was a member of the prominent Shaw family, which included his grandfather, Robert Gould Shaw, a Union Army colonel during the American Civil War.

Shaw was a successful banker and financier. He graduated from Yale University in 1894 and went on to work at several prominent banking institutions, including Kidder, Peabody & Co., William Salomon & Co., and the Bankers Trust Company. Shaw also served as director of various corporations such as the Union Pacific Railroad, Maryland Casualty Company, and the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad.

No, Shaw did not have any military involvement. Unlike his grandfather, who was a colonel in the Union Army and famously commanded the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment, Robert Gould Shaw II pursued a career in banking and finance rather than the military.

While not directly involved in the creation of the Shaw Memorial, Shaw's family played a significant role. The Shaw Memorial, created by sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens, is a monument in Boston that depicts Shaw's grandfather, Colonel Robert Gould Shaw, and the African American soldiers of the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment. The Shaw family provided financial support for the memorial's creation, and Robert Gould Shaw II's father, Francis George Shaw, was instrumental in its design and installation.

Robert Gould Shaw II passed away on June 11, 1930, in Boston, Massachusetts, at the age of 57.