diff --git a/hadoop-mapreduce-project/CHANGES.txt b/hadoop-mapreduce-project/CHANGES.txt
index 28f38b72a4b..c2d70dc4808 100644
--- a/hadoop-mapreduce-project/CHANGES.txt
+++ b/hadoop-mapreduce-project/CHANGES.txt
@@ -754,6 +754,9 @@ Release 0.23.7 - UNRELEASED
     mapred-default has mapreduce.job.split.metainfo.maxsize (Jason Lowe via
     jeagles)
 
+    MAPREDUCE-4794. DefaultSpeculator generates error messages on normal
+    shutdown (Jason Lowe via jeagles)
+
 Release 0.23.6 - UNRELEASED
 
   INCOMPATIBLE CHANGES
diff --git a/hadoop-mapreduce-project/hadoop-mapreduce-client/hadoop-mapreduce-client-app/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/mapreduce/v2/app/speculate/DefaultSpeculator.java b/hadoop-mapreduce-project/hadoop-mapreduce-client/hadoop-mapreduce-client-app/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/mapreduce/v2/app/speculate/DefaultSpeculator.java
index 25f9820b9a6..b2e437b10d1 100644
--- a/hadoop-mapreduce-project/hadoop-mapreduce-client/hadoop-mapreduce-client-app/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/mapreduce/v2/app/speculate/DefaultSpeculator.java
+++ b/hadoop-mapreduce-project/hadoop-mapreduce-client/hadoop-mapreduce-client-app/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/mapreduce/v2/app/speculate/DefaultSpeculator.java
@@ -91,6 +91,7 @@ public class DefaultSpeculator extends AbstractService implements
   private final Configuration conf;
   private AppContext context;
   private Thread speculationBackgroundThread = null;
+  private volatile boolean stopped = false;
   private BlockingQueue<SpeculatorEvent> eventQueue
       = new LinkedBlockingQueue<SpeculatorEvent>();
   private TaskRuntimeEstimator estimator;
@@ -170,7 +171,7 @@ public class DefaultSpeculator extends AbstractService implements
         = new Runnable() {
             @Override
             public void run() {
-              while (!Thread.currentThread().isInterrupted()) {
+              while (!stopped && !Thread.currentThread().isInterrupted()) {
                 long backgroundRunStartTime = clock.getTime();
                 try {
                   int speculations = computeSpeculations();
@@ -189,8 +190,9 @@ public class DefaultSpeculator extends AbstractService implements
                   Object pollResult
                       = scanControl.poll(wait, TimeUnit.MILLISECONDS);
                 } catch (InterruptedException e) {
-                  LOG.error("Background thread returning, interrupted : " + e);
-                  e.printStackTrace(System.out);
+                  if (!stopped) {
+                    LOG.error("Background thread returning, interrupted", e);
+                  }
                   return;
                 }
               }
@@ -205,6 +207,7 @@ public class DefaultSpeculator extends AbstractService implements
 
   @Override
   public void stop() {
+    stopped = true;
     // this could be called before background thread is established
     if (speculationBackgroundThread != null) {
       speculationBackgroundThread.interrupt();