shepherd's purse Widespread lawn and roadside weed ( Capsella bursa-pastoris ) of the mustard family, native to the Mediterranean and now found worldwide. Growing as high as 18 in. (45 cm), it is easily recog¬ nized by its flat, heart-shaped, green fruits, borne along the branching flower stalks, which arise from a dandelion-like rosette of deeply cut or almost entire leaves at the base and bear clusters of tiny white flowers. Shepherd’s purse has been much studied to understand embryogenesis (development from zygote to seedling) in flowering plants.
Shepp, Archie (Vernon) (b. May 24, 1937, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., U.S.) U.S. jazz saxophonist and composer. Shepp was originally inspired by John Coltrane. His playing increasingly demonstrated the influence of Ben Webster, with a wide vibrato and gruff tone; his occasional eruptions of harsh screams and multiphonics (two notes played simultaneously) became trademarks of avant-garde saxophone technique. His first record¬ ings were with free-jazz pianist Cecil Taylor (b. 1933) in the early 1960s; thereafter he worked as leader of his own groups. Also a playwright and educator, Shepp became an eloquent spokesman for the new music and its social significance.
Sheraton, Thomas (b. 1751, Stockton-on-Tees, Durham, Eng.—d. Oct. 22, 1806, London) British cabinetmaker. A leading exponent of Neo- classicism, he gave his name to a style of furniture characterized by a firm, feminine refinement of late Georgian and became probably the most pow¬ erful source of inspiration behind the furniture of the late 18th century. His four-part Cabinet-Maker and Upholsterers’ Drawing Book (1791) greatly influenced British and U.S. design. At his best, Sheraton had a natural approach to contemporary design: he used wood for its own sake, rather than covering it with such disguises as gilt or modulating it exces¬ sively with ormolu mounts.
Sheridan, Philip H(enry) (b. March 6, 1831, Albany, N.Y., U.S.—d. Aug. 5, 1888, Nonquitt, Mass.) U.S. army officer. He graduated from West Point and served at frontier posts. In the American Civil War he led a Union division in Tennessee and helped win the Battle of Chattanooga with his cavalry charge up Missionary Ridge. In the East he became com¬ mander of the cavalry (1864) and led raids on Confederate forces around Richmond, Va. As commander of the Army of the Shenandoah, he drove Confederate forces under Jubal Early from the Shenandoah Valley. He
, 1792, Field Place, near Horsham,
Percy Bysshe Shelley, oil painting by Amelia Curran, 1819; in the National Portrait Gallery, London
COURTESY OF THE NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY, LONDON
© 2006 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.
1738 I Sheridan ► Shetland Islands
joined Ulysses S. Grant to help secure Union victories in the Petersburg Campaign. After the war he became general of the army (1883).
Sheridan, Richard Brinsley (Butler) (baptized Nov. 4, 1751, Dub¬ lin, Ire.—d. July 7, 1816, London, Eng.) British playwright, orator, and politician. His family moved to England, and he was educated at Harrow School in London. He rejected a legal career for the theatre. His comedy The Rivals (1775) introduced the popular character Mrs. Malaprop and established him as a leading dramatist. He became manager and later owner of the Drury Lane Theatre (1776-1809), where his plays were pro¬ duced. He won wide acclaim for his comedy of manners The School for Scandal (1777) and showed his flair for satirical wit again in The Critic (1779). His plays formed a link in the history of the comedy of manners between the Restoration drama and the later plays of Oscar Wilde. In 1780 Sheridan became a member of Parliament, where he was a noted orator for the minority Whig party.
sheriff In the U.S., the chief law-enforcement officer for the courts in a county. He is ordinarily elected, and he may appoint a deputy. The sher¬ iff and his deputy have the power of police officers to enforce criminal law and may summon private citizens (the posse comitatus, or “force of the county”) to help maintain the peace. The main judicial duty of the sheriff is to execute processes and writs of the courts. Officers of this name also exist in England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. In England the office of sheriff existed before the Norman Conquest (1066).
Sherman, Cindy (b. Jan. 19, 1954, Glen Ridge, N.J., U.S.) U.S. pho¬ tographer. After graduating from the State University of New York at Buffalo, Sherman began work on Untitled Film Stills (1977-80), one of her best-known projects. The series of 8 x 10-inch black-and-white pho¬ tographs features Sherman in a variety of roles reminiscent of film noir. Throughout her career she would continue to be the model in her pho¬ tographs, donning wigs and costumes that evoke images from the realms of advertising, television, film, and fashion and that, in turn, challenge the cultural stereotypes about women supported by these media. During the 1980s Sherman’s work featured mutilated bodies and reflected concerns such as eating disorders, insanity, and death. She returned to ironic com¬ mentary upon female identities in the 1990s, introducing mannequins and dolls to some of her photographs.
Sherman, John (b. May 10, 1823, Lancaster, Ohio, U.S.—d. Oct. 22, 1900, Washington, D.C.) U.S. poli¬ tician. A brother of William T. Sher¬ man, he served in the U.S. House of Representatives (1855-61). A fiscal expert, he helped establish the national banking system (1863) and supported legislation that returned the U.S. to the gold standard. He served as U.S. secretary of the trea¬ sury (1877-81). In the U.S. Senate (1861-77, 1881-97), he proposed the Sherman Antitrust Act and the Sherman Silver Purchase Act (1890).
He later served briefly as secretary of state (1897-98), resigning the day Congress declared war against Spain.
Sherman, Roger (b. April 19,
1721, Newton, Mass.—d. July 23,
1793, New Haven, Conn., U.S.)
American jurist and politician. Active in trade and law in Connecticut, he served as judge of the superior court (1766-85) and mayor of New Haven (1784-93). A delegate to the Continental Congress, he signed the Decla¬ ration of Independence and helped draft the Articles of Confederation. At the Constitutional Convention, he proposed a compromise on congres¬ sional representation that combined facets of the two opposing plans by the large and small states. The result, called the Connecticut (or Great) Compromise, which was incorporated into the Constitution, provided for a bicameral legislature with representation based on population in one house (House of Representatives) and on the principle of equality in the other (Senate).
Sherman, William Tecumseh (b. Feb. 8, 1820, Lancaster, Ohio, U.S.—d. Feb. 14, 1891, New York, N.Y.) U.S. army general. A brother of John Sherman, he graduated from West Point, served in Florida and
California, then resigned his commission in 1853 to pursue a banking career. He rejoined the Union army when the American Civil War broke out. He fought in the Battle of Bull Run, then served under Ulysses S. Grant at Shiloh and was promoted to major general. With Grant he helped win the Vicksburg Campaign and the Battle of Chattanooga. As commander of the division of the Mississippi, he assembled 100,000 troops for the invasion of Georgia (1864). After engagements with Confederate troops under Joseph Johnston, he captured and burned Atlanta and began his devastating March to the Sea to capture Savannah, leaving a trail of near¬ total destruction. In 1865 he marched north, destroying Confederate rail¬ roads and sources of supply in North and South Carolina. He accepted the surrender of Johnston’s army on April 26. Promoted to general, he suc¬ ceeded Grant as commander of the army (1869-84). Often credited with the saying “War is hell,” he was a major architect of modern total war.
Sherman Antitrust Act (1890) First U.S. legislation enacted to curb concentrations of power that restrict trade and reduce economic compe¬ tition. Proposed by Sen. John Sherman, it made illegal all attempts to monopolize any part of trade or commerce in the U.S. Initially used against trade unions, it was more widely enforced under Pres. Theodore Roosevelt. In 1914 Congress strengthened the act with the Clayton Anti¬ trust Act and the formation of the Federal Trade Commission. In 1920 the U.S. Supreme Court relaxed antitrust regulations so that only “unreason¬ able” restraint of trade through acquisitions, mergers, and predatory pric¬ ing constituted a violation. Later cases reinforced the prohibition against monopoly control, including the 1984 break-up of AT&T. See also antitrust