Butler 
Senate 
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United States Congress 
Andrew Pickens Butler was born 18 Nov 1796 in Edgefield District, South Carolina, a son of Congressman William Butler Sr. and Behethland Foote Moore. He attended Dr. Waddell's Academy and graduated from South Carolina College (now Univ. of South Carolina), Columbia in 1817. He then studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1818. He practiced at Columbia, Edgefield, Lexington, Barnwell and Newberry. He was elected to the South Carolina State House of Representatives. He was then elected to the South Carolina State Senate and served 1824-1833. He was an aide on the staff of the governor in 1824. He was appointed Judge of the Session Court in 1833 and Judge of the State Court of Common Pleas, serving from 1835-1846.
Andrew was appointed to fill a vacancy and then reelected, as a States Rights Democrat to the United States Senate of the 30th US Congress, serving 1846 until his death 25 May 1857. During his tenure, he served as Chairman of the Committee on Judiciary.
On 19 May 1856, Senator Charles Sumner of Massachusetts began a fiery two-day speech in the Senate which led to one of the most spectacular incindents in the history of the United States Senate. Sumner, by then already well known for his hatred of the South -- and Democrats, began to verbally attack various Senate colleagues. Andrew was by then old and feeble. His age had caused a speech slur and other disabilities.
After characterizing Sen. Stephen Douglas of Illinois as a "noisesome, squat and nameless animal", Sumner went after Senator Andrew Butler an elderly senator who was not present to defend himself. During the speech, Sumner proceeded to crudely attack Andrew to the point of making fun of his physical disability affecting his speech that had set in with age and by using crude sexual imagery intended to personally smear his senate colleague.
Some of Sumner's crude remarks included:
"Were the whole history of South Carolina blotted out of existence, from its very beginning down to the day of the last election of the senator to his present seat on this floor, civilization might lose -- I do not say how little but surely less than it has already gained by the example of Kansas" (Kansas had been competing for statehood for a matter of months at the time).
"With regret, I come again upon the senator from South Carolina, [Butler] who...with incoherent phrases discharged the loose expectoration of his speech, now upon her representative and then upon her people. There was no extravagance of the ancient parliamentary debate which he did not repeat. Nor was there any possible deviation from truth which he did not make, with so much of passion, I am glad to add, as to save him from the suspicion of intentional aberration. But the senator touches nothing which he does not disfigure...He cannot open his mouth but out there flies a blunder."
"The senator from South Carolina [Butler] has read many books of chivalry and believes himself a chivalrous knight with sentiments of honor and courage. Of course he has chosen a mistress to whom he has made his vows, and who, though ugly to others, is always lovely to him; though polluted in the sight of the world, is chaste in his sight...no extravagance of manner or hardihood of assertion is then too great for this senator. The frenzy of Don Quixote in behalf of his wench Dulcinea del Toboso is all surpassed."
This malicious personal attack upon a respected and aged statesman brought such comments as that of Senator William H. Seward, a northerner, calling Sumner the "damned fool."
It also brought retribution from Andrew's cousin, Congressman Preston Brooks (grandson of Elizabeth Butler), in the form of a caning of Sumner. Two days after the initial speech, Preston entered the Senate and when he saw Sumner at his desk, he proceeded to give him a good "caning", whipping the devil out of the yankee with his walking cane. He swung repeatedly and swung so hard that the cane broke into pieces.
Sumner spent the next three years "recovering" and did not attend Congress during that time. Some historians have said he was too embarrassed to return and suffered more from "hurt pride" than from any wounds he received. He also sought public sympathy. They yankees made a martyr of him and a million copies of one of his speeches were distributed.
The yankee press and Republican politicians tried to label the whipping of Sumner as a result of his anti-slavery stance. Actually, Preston whipped Sumner because Sumner had spewed forth vitriolic name calling, including the insulting act of lampooning a physical handicap, in a place of debate on the floor on the United States Senate.
This type of personal attacks such as that spewed regularly by the likes of Sumner and other yankees against the South and Southern represenatives in Congress drove many Southerners to conclude compromise was impossible and secession to be the only option. Senator Louis Wigfall of Texas said as much shortly before the war, noting dialogue to have been rendered impossible by a constant barrage of personal insults made by yankee senators against their Southern colleagues on the senate floor with practically every speech made.
The yankees in the House of Representatives tried to expell Preston but the move failed when every Southerner but one voted against it. He resigned anyway and was promptly reelected by the folks back home.
Throughout the South, Brooks was hailed as a hero. Merchants in Charleston, SC bought the congressman a new gold-headed cane and inscribed it "Hit him again."
The malicious speech by Sumner had originally begun as an attack upon the South in general over the debate of whether Kansas should be admitted as a slave-owning state or not. Kansas was eventually admitted as a non-slave state. Ironically, Kansas later honored Andrew's brother William by naming Butler County for him.
Hugh Alfred Butler was born 28 Feb 1878 in Harrison County, Iowa. He graduated from Doane College, Crete, Ne. in 1900. He became a construction engineer for the Chicago, Burlington Quincy Railroad from 1908-1913. He then worked in the flour-milling and grain business from 1908-1940.
He was electged to the Omaha, Ne. Board of Education. He served as the Republican Party Committeeman for Nebraska 1936-1940.
Hugh was elected as a Republican to the United States Senate in 1940 and for two more terms, serving 1941 until his death at the Bethesda Naval Hospital, Md. 1 Jul 1954. During his tenure, he served as chairman of the Committee on Public Lands and on the Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs. He was buried at Forest Lawn Cemetery, Omaha.
John Marshall Butler was born 21 Jul 1897 in Baltimore, Maryland. He served in the US Army during World War I. After the war, he attended Johns Hopkins University and graduated from the University of Maryland Law School in 1926. He was admitted to the bar the same year and set up practice in Baltimore. He served as a member of the City Service Commission, 1947-1949.
John was elected as a Republican to the United States Senate in 1950 and reelected for a second term, serving 1951-1963. He did not seek reelection in 1962. He died 14 Mar 1978 at Rocky Mount, NC and was buried at Druid Ridge Cemetery, Pikesville, Md.
Marion Butler was born 20 May 1863 in Sampson County, North Carolina, a son of Wiley Butler and Romelia Ferrell. He came from a long line of farmers and this heritage led to his fame. Marion graduated from the University of North Carolina in 1885. He then studied law at the school but left to take care of his family's farm after his daddy died. In addition to operating the farm, he also conducted an academy for his younger brothers and sisters and neighborhood children.
In the late 1880's, the Farmers' Alliance movement spread to North Carolina and other areas of the South. Marion joined the Alliance and became president of the Sampson County chapter. He bought the Caucasian weekly newspaper at Clinton, the county seat. In 1890, at age 27, he was elected to the North Carolina State Senate as an Alliance Democrat. In the legislature, he became a leader of the dominant farming forces. In 1891, he was elected president of the State Farmer's Alliance. He was elected president of the National Farmers's Alliance in 1893.
The Farmers' Alliance became a formidable political movement backed by small farmers all over the nation. The group advocated free silver and other financial and economic reforms. Marion and the his followers in the Alliance opposed Grover Cleveland. When the Democratic Party renominated him for the presidency in 1892, the North Carolina Democratic Party ruled that no one could split the ticket and vote Democratic in the state and local elections and not in the presidential race, Marion bolted and led thousands of Alliancemen from the party to join the new "People's" or Populist Party.
In North Carolina, the Populists entered the campaign of 1892 late, yet they and the Republicans together polled a larger vote than the Democrats. In the state elections of 1894, Mariion led the Populists into cooperation with the Republicans. The combined forces of the Populists and the Republicans swept the state to gain control of both houses of the legislature and to send Butler to the US Senate in 1895.
Marion was elected to the United States Senate and served 1895-1901. In Washington, he strongly advocated reform and took his place alongside other agrarian champions of the silver cause. In 1896, Marion won his greatest national prominence while serving as national chairman of the Populist Party. At the party's national convention in St. Louis, Mo., he convinced the party to endorse William Jennings Bryan (who ran three times and lost) who the Democratic Party had already nominated, on a ticket with the Populist's own vice presidential nominee, Thomas E. ("Tom") Watson of Georgia one of the most famous and effective Populist leaders.
Marion worked closely with Bryan and other national Democratic Party leaders to fuse the two groups on tickets for presidential electors. However, he continued to cooperate with the Republicans in North Carolina in many state and local elections. After Bryan lost, the Populist-Republican forces expanded their control in North Carolina. The Democrats came back in 1898 and 1900 and Marion lost his seat in the Senate in the sweep.
Marion continued to serve as the Populist national chairman until 1904, when he switched and became a Republican.
While the Republican-Populist group had control of the state government, North Carolina half-way repudiated some railroad bonds. The state of South Dakota filed an interstate suit against North Carolina over this. Marion played an important role in the affair. For years afterward, Tar Heel Democrats used the theme "Butler, Boodle and Bonds" to fight the Republicans.
During his tenure, Marion played a key role in helping establish the rural free delivery may system ("RFD"), which finally brought mail delivery to rural areas all over the nation for the first time. He also helped establish the Postal savings bank system which helped many folk in rural areas with no bank. He also helped establish a state college for women at Greensboro.
Marion also worked to establish the state railway commission to regulate railroads, many of which were owned by out-of-state interests. He also worked for many other reforms in state government and, as a senator, on a national level also.
He was a strong supporter of education. He served as a trustee and member of the executive board of the University of North Carolina 1891-1899. He had resumed his study of law there while still a senator. After retiring from public life, he set up law practice in Washington, DC.
Marion married Florence Faison of Sampson County in 1893. They had five children. He died 3 Jun 1938 in Takoma Park, Md. He was buried at the Clinton Cemetery in Clinton, NC.
Matthew Calbraith Butler was born 8 Mar 1836 in Greenville County, South Carolina, a son of Congressman Dr. William Butler Jr. and Jane T. Perry. His mother was a sister of Commodore Oliver H. Perry of War of 1812 fame. He was a nephew of US Senator Andrew Pickens Butler and Governor Pierce M. Butler. As a child, he went with his father to Arkansas but later returned to the family home in Edgefield where he lived with his uncle, Andrew. Matthew attended an academy in Edgefield and South Carolina College, Columbia. He then studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1857. He set up practice in Edgefield. He was elected to the South Carolina State House of Representatives in 1860.
When South Carolina seceded from the union, Matthew entered the Confederate States Army as a captain of a company of cavalry in General Hampton's Legion. His company had a distinguished role in the First Battle of Manassas. He was promoted to major and began his famous career with the cavalry of the Army of Northern Virginia under Gen. Robert E. Lee.
Matthew commanded the cavalry of the Legion under Gen. Stuart when the army withdrew from Yorktown. He was commended for his gallantry at Williamsburg. He was promoted to colonel of the Second Regiment, SC Cavalry, Hampton's Brigade, in Aug 1862. His unit took part in the Second Battle of Manassas and in the Maryland campaigns. He was in Stuart's raid on Chambersburg and commanded th4 main part of the brigage on the Dumfries expedition in Dec 1862. He became one of the most notable leaders in the cavalry battle at Brandy Station. He was wounded there by a shell and lost his right foot. He refused to retire and the following September, he was promoted to Brigadier General. He succeeded General Hampton in command of the brigade. He was later in the Battles of the Wilderness, Spottsylvania and at Richmond, opposing the yankee general Sheridan, who himself lauded Matthew for his actions at the Battles of Hawe's Shop and Cold Harbor.
Matthew was in ruined financially by the end of the war. Although he strongly advocated obediance to the "reconstruction" measures of the occupation army, he still opposed any infringements on decent government. He promoted the election of Wade Hampton as governor.
Matthew was elected as a Democrat to the United States Senate in 1876. Yankee senators raised a storm of protest since many wanted to treat the South as an occupied territory without representation in Congress (so what was all the fuss about "saving the Union"?).
During his tenure, he advocated a strong Navy and advocated Civil Service reform and other reforms which later became national policy. After he left office, he set up law practice in Washington. When the US entered the Spanish-American War in 1898, he was appointed a Major General in the Volunteer Army of the US.
Matthew married Maria Simkins Pickens in 1858. She was a daughter of Governor Francis W. Pickens. He died at Washington 14 Apr 1909.
Pierce Butler was born 11 Jul 1744 in County Carlow, Ireland. He was a son of Sir Richard Butler, Baron of Cloughgrenan, a member of the Irish Parliament. In the honored fashion of the times, he bought his son Pierce a commission in the 22d Regiment of Foot (today's Cheshire Regiment). Pierce had both military skill and a background of wealthy and powerful parents which furthered his career in the army. His regiment came to North America in 1758 to participate in the French and Indian War, serving in the campaigns which captured Canada from the French. He later transferred to the 29th Foot and then returned to Ireland in 1762.
He later settled in Charles Town (now Charleston), South Carolina and became a planter. He bought several large tracts of land in South Carolina and Georgia and became even wealthier from his plantation operations.
When the Revolutionary War broke out, he became a delegate from South Carolina to the Continental Congress in 1787. He also served as a delegate to the Constitutional Convention which framed the federal Constitution in 1787.
Pierce was elected to the United States Senate in 1789 for a term ending in Mar 1793. He was reelected and served from 4 Mar 1789 to 25 Oct 1796 when he resigned. He was again elected to the Senate to fill a vacancy and served 1802 until he resigned in 1804.
Pierce married Mary ("Polly") Middleton. He died 15 Feb 1822 in Philadelphia, Pa. and was buried in Christ Churchyard there.
William Morgan Butler was born 29 Jan 1861 in New Bedford, Massachusetts. He studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1883. He graduated from the law department of Boston University in 1884. He set up practice in New Bedford until 1895. He was elected to the Massachusetts State House of Representatives and served 1890-1891. He was elected to the State Senate and served 1895-1895. He moved to Boston in 1895 and practiced law there until 1912 when he entered the cotton mill business. He served as a member of the commission to revise the state statutes, from 1896-1900. He was elected Chairman of the Republican National Committee in 1924.
William was appointed as a Republican to fill a vacancy in the United States Senate on 13 Nov 1924 and served until 6 Dec 1926. He lost a bid for the seat in the next election. He then returned to his manufacturing business. He died 29 Mar 1937 at Boston and is buried at Forest Hills Cemetery.
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