Famous and Notable Butlers
Butler 
Governors 
Welcome to the Butler Family Association history section devoted to honoring Butler kin who have served as governors and lieutenant governors of the colonies, states and provinces.
This site is sponsored by the Butler Family Association, a national family club for ALL descendants of Butler families. If you have information on the family history of any Butler kin who have served in Congress, please let us know the details to preserve in the Family Library.
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Pierce Mason Butler was born 11 Apr 1798 and died 22 Dec 1846 in Mexico during the Mexican War.
Pierce was elected Governor of South Carolina and served one term, 1836 – 1836.
Benjamin Franklin Butler was born 5 Nov 1818 in Deerfield, NH and died 11 Jan 1893.
Samuel Marvin (Marvin) Griffin was born 4 Sep 1907 at Bainbridge, Decatur County, Georgia. He was a son of Josephine (“Josie”) Butler and Ernest Howard (“Pat”) Griffin. Josephine was the daughter of Josiah Blackman Butler and Sarah A. (“Sallie”) Rackley. Josiah was born in Sampson County, North Carolina.
Marvin Griffin was one of Georgia’s most colorful politicians for many years. He began his career as a teacher at Randolph Macon Academy in Virginia. He met his wife, Mary Elizabeth (“Lib”) Smith while in Virginia. He returned home later and entered politics. He was elected to the House of Representatives of the Georgia General Assembly and serve 1935-1936. He served as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention from Georgia in 1940. He became the Executive Secretary for Governor E. D. Rivers, 1939-1941. When the United States entered World War II, Marvin was given a commission as a Lieutenant Colonel and served with a unit of Georgia men in Borneo and the South Pacific.
He left the Army when he was appointed Adjutant General of Georgia, serving 1944-1947. He was elected Lieutenant Governor and served 1948-1955. He then ran for governor in a very large field of candidates and won. At that time, Georgia governors could serve only one consecutive term of four years. He served from 1955 –1959.
During his term as governor, Marvin turned attention to the desperate needs of the rural areas and small towns of the state. He was responsible for creating the Rural Roads Administration which issued bonds and paved 12,000 miles of rural roads throughout the state, more than any other governor before him.
He made a bold attempt to boost the state’s educational system. He funded a nuclear reactor for Georgia Tech, helping give this engineering school national attention as a new and major research center. He funded programs to hire 3,000 additional teachers for the state and the Georgia Public Television system, which today has TV stations all over the state. He took a personal part in making West Georgia College a four-year institution (now West Georgia State University). He also stepped up construction of new schools and classrooms throughout the state.
He helped create new industry and jobs by creating a new inland state port at his hometown of Bainbridge and urged creation of additional ports at Columbus and Augusta, operated by the Georgia Ports Authority. Despite bitter opposition from several north Georgia politicians, the port at Bainbridge became a profitable operation that brought in several new industries.
Marvin built 27 new public health centers across the state and upgraded medical, old-age, vocational rehabilitation and children’s services.
He purchased Stone Mountain in the Atlanta suburbs and established a state authority to create a major park there as a memorial to the people of the Confederate States of America. The mountain is one of the largest granite outcrops in the World. It has one of the largest carvings in the world – the focal piece of what has become one of Georgia’s largest and most popular state parks. Georgia’s state capitol dome was plated with gold mined by Georgians from the north Georgia mountains. The gold dome is a striking view in downtown Atlanta. He also had the state capitol renovated while in office.
After leaving office, Marvin returned home to Bainbridge and resumed his work as editor and publisher of the Post – Searchlight, a weekly newspaper serving Decatur County. He and his son Sam operated the newspaper until Marvin’s death 13 June 1982. His son Sam is still owner and editor of the newspaper as of 2004.
Marvin died 13 June 1982. He and his wife are buried at Oak City Cemetery in Bainbridge, where his mother Josie and father are also buried.
More coming…
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