William Shattuc was born in North Hector, New York but Shattuc moved to Ohio in 1852 with his parents, who settled near Sandusky. During the American Civil War, Shattuc enlisted in Company I, 2nd Ohio Cavalry, August 13, 1861, with a commission as a second lieutenant. He mustered out February 21, 1863, as a first lieutenant. He served as assistant and afterward general passenger agent of the Ohio and Mississippi Railway Company from 1865 to 1894 and served as member of the State senate in 1895.