William Butler (1790–1850) Explained

William Butler
State:South Carolina
District:6th
Term Start:March 4, 1841
Term End:March 3, 1843
Predecessor:Waddy Thompson Jr.
Successor:Isaac E. Holmes
Birth Date:1 February 1790
Birth Place:Edgefield District, South Carolina, US
Death Place:Fort Gibson, Indian Territory, US
Resting Place:Van Buren, Arkansas, US
Party:Whig
Alma Mater:South Carolina College
Profession:Doctor, Indian agent
Parents:William Butler
Behethland Moore Butler
Children:Matthew Calbraith Butler
Relations:Andrew Butler (brother)
Pierce Mason Butler (brother)
Branch:United States Navy
Rank:Surgeon
Battles:War of 1812
Serviceyears:1814–1820

William Butler Jr. (February 1, 1790 – September 25, 1850) was an American physician, slaveholder, and United States representative from South Carolina. He was a son of William Butler (1759–1821), brother of Andrew Butler, and father of Matthew Calbraith Butler, all of whom served in the United States Congress.

Early life

Butler was born near the present town of Saluda, South Carolina on February 1, 1790. He was a son of William Butler (1759–1821) and Behethland Foote (née Moore) Butler (1764–1853). Among his siblings was brother Andrew Butler, a Democratic U.S. Senator from North Carolina. Pierce Mason Butler was Governor of South Carolina from 1836 to 1838.

He graduated from South Carolina College at Columbia, South Carolina in 1810. He had studied medicine and was licensed to practice.[1]

Career

During the War of 1812, he served as a United States Navy surgeon at the Battle of New Orleans. Butler served in the Navy until June 6, 1820, when he resigned.

In 1825, he moved to Greenville, South Carolina where he began practice as a country doctor. He was elected as a Whig to the Twenty-seventh Congress (March 4, 1841 – March 3, 1843). He served as agent of the Cherokee Indians from May 29, 1849, until his death the following year.[2]

Personal life

While stationed in Rhode Island in 1819, he married Jane Tweedy Perry. She was a daughter of Christopher Raymond Perry, and was a sister to Oliver Hazard Perry and Matthew Calbraith Perry. Together, they were the parents of many children, including Matthew Calbraith Butler.[2]

Butler died in Fort Gibson, Indian Territory (now Oklahoma) on September 25, 1850. He was buried near Van Buren, Arkansas.[2]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Martin, Samuel J., Southern Hero, Matthew Calbraith Butler, Stackpole Books, 2001
  2. Web site: BUTLER, William - Biographical Information . bioguide.congress.gov . . 13 November 2019.