Daniel Shell was born in St. Lawrence County, N.Y., November 26, 1843 the son of David and Lovina (Kentner) Shell, natives of Canada and New York state, respectively. The Shells are of German ancestry, but settled in the United States at a very early day, and for several generations were residents of the Empire State. Daniel Shell, the paternal grandfather was a native of New York and an influential and prosperous farmer. David Shell, the father of our subject, while a native of Canada, was raised in New York. The mother of Mr. Shell, of this sketch, was a daughter of Conrad Kentner, who was of German descent and a descendant of one of the pioneer families of St. Lawrence county.

Mr. Shell was the fourth son and sixth child of a family of eleven children. His early boyhood was spent in attending the public schools of St. Lawrence county. When be was eleven years of age the, family. moved to Sauk County, Wis., and located on a farm, and there the subject of this biography grew to manhood. His educational advantages were such as the district schools of the locality afforded, although. later he became a student in a high school.

On reaching his majority Mr. Shell started out in life on his own account. In the winter of 1865 he formed a partnership with two brothers, Conrad and Levi, and engaged in the lumber business in Wisconsin under the name of Shell Bros. He went into the pine woods and engaged in logging and milling, the firm having purchased eighty acres of heavily timbered land. A retail yard was established at West Salem, Wis., which the brothers operated until 1871, when Daniel Shell came to the new town of Worthington.

It was during the month of December that Mr. Shell came to Worthington. He was member of the firm of Henry Young & Company which established a lumber yard in the little village, and came to assist in the management of the yard. After the business had been conducted in Worthington a few months, it was moved to Siblev, Iowa, at which point Levi Shell became the manager. Before the change in location was made Daniel Shell had (in March, 1872) erected a building on Main street and opened a livery stable, of which he was the proprietor for many years. In 1873 be received the contract for carrying the mail from Worthington to Sioux Falls, S. D., and conducted the mail route five years. He operated a stage line in connection, which he built up into a large and profitable business. He leased the Worthington Hotel building, in 1874, bought it a short time afterward, and was the landlord for thirteen years.

Mr. Shell embarked in the real estate, loan and insurance business in 1876 and has had an office in Worthington ever since. In June, 1895, lie formed a partnership with, M.P. Mann, and from that date to Jan. 10, 1908, the business was conducted under the firm name of Shell & Mann. Since the last named date he has conducted the business alone. In the early days be invested his money in Nobles county lands, and is today one of the largest landowners of the county. Besides the lines of business mentioned Mr. Shell has been identified with many other enterprises of a local nature. He was one of the organizers of the Minnesota Loan & Investment company and of the Beaver Creek Bank, of Rock county. When the Worthington National Bank was organized early in the year 1908, he was made vice president and director of the new institution

In politics Mr. Shell is a pronounced republican, and has taken a very active part in local, state and national politics. At the First village election, in I873, he was elected village assessor and served one term. He was elected member of the village council in 1874, 1875 and 1876, and served as president of the council in 1879-80-81-85-86-89-90-91-93-94. From 1890 to 1904 he was a member of the Worthington school board. He was elected county commissioner in the fall of 1881, was reelected in 1884, and served until the beginning of the year 1887. During these years he was chairman of the board. Mr. Shell was chosen a delegate to the republican national convention which was held it Minneapolis in 1802, and was a member of the committee that notified Benjamin Harrison of his nomination. In the fall of 1802 he was elected to the lower house of the Minnesota legislature from the district comprising the counties of Nobles, Murray, Rock and Pipestone, and was reelected in 1894 and again in 1896. In 1808 he was elected to the senate from the newly formed district comprising the counties of Nobles and Murray, and served eight years in that body, receiving the nomination and election again in 1902. In the early nineties, when it was decided to build a new state capitol, Mr. Shell was appointed member of the capitol commission by the governor, and served about one and one-half years. During the time he was on the commission, the plans for the new building - one of the finest state houses in the United States were drawn and accepted. Mr. Shell resigned upon the passage of a law which brought Into doubt the legality of a member of the legislature holding another office in the state administration.

Mr. Shell was married in 1867 to Miss Samantha McClintock, daughter of Hugh McClintock, of Salem, Wisconsin. Mr. and Mrs. Shell are the parents of three children; Winnifred, Lee M. and Marjorie. Mr. Shell is prominently identified with the Masonic fraternity. He was a charter member of the lodgeat Worthincton, and is a Knight Templar and a member of the Mystic Shrine.