Background
Shaw was born at Portuguese Arthur in Northern Ontario, and received his early education in Calgary, Alberta.
Shaw was born at Portuguese Arthur in Northern Ontario, and received his early education in Calgary, Alberta.
He later received a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Michigan, and returned to Alberta to work as a barrister.
Shaw then moved south to London, joining Woolwich Arsenal in 1907. He made his debut against Preston North End on September 28, 1907, and had soon become a regular in the Arsenal side. He was first-choice left back for the next seven seasons.
After a high of sixth place in 1908-1909, Woolwich Arsenal soon found themselves in trouble, and were relegated in 1912-1913.
Despite this, Shaw stayed with the club as they moved across London to Highbury, and was an ever-present in the final season (1914-1915) before first-class football was suspended for World War I. He continued to play during unofficial wartime matches, and by the time competitive football had resumed, he had made the switch to right back. In 1919 he was made Arsenal captain, succeeding the recently departed Percy Sands.
By this time Arsenal were back in the First Division, and Shaw continued to play until the age of 38, in 1922. He had made his 300th first-class appearance against Newcastle United on April 23, 1921 (the third player in the club"s history to do so, after Sands and Roddy McEachrane).
In all he played 326 matches for the club, although he never scored a goal.
After retiring from playing, he became first a coach, and then manager of the Arsenal reserve side. After George Allison was appointed permanent first-team manager in the summer, Shaw went back to his post as reserves manager. Shaw remained at Arsenal through the rest of the 1930s and during the Second World War.
After the war ended, he spent a brief period as a coach at Chelsea, but returned to Arsenal to become assistant manager to Tom Whittaker in 1947.
He later served as a club ambassador. He retired from football in 1956, after 49 years" service for Arsenal.
He died in 1963 at the age of 80.
He attended a Progressive Party convention in 1922 and may have been a candidate for that party"s leadership, but he reaffirmed his independence from all parties in 1923.
He served in the Canadian House of Commons from 1921 to 1925 as an independent Member of Parliament (Member of Parliament), and later became leader of the Alberta Liberal Party.