David Christy Butler (December 15, 1829 – May 25, 1891) was a U.S. political figure. He was the first governor of Nebraska, serving from 1867 until 1871. Tipton, Thomas Weston
Forty Years of Nebraska at Home and in Congress
pp. 104–117 (1902) He was the first governor of Nebraska after statehood and the only Nebraska governor to be

impeached Impeachment is the process by which a legislative body or other legally constituted tribunal initiates charges against a public official for misconduct. It may be understood as a unique process involving both political and legal elements. In ...

Biography

Butler was born near Linton, Indiana, the eldest son of 10 children. His education was limited to the common schools and he worked at farming and cattle trading. He married twice. His first wife was Mary Pauline Smith Butler and his second was Lydia Story Butler. He and Lydia were married on January 25, 1860, and he had eight children.

Career

Butler was nominated for a state senate seat in Indiana in 1856, but withdrew before the election. He moved three years later to Pawnee City, Nebraska, and engaged in trading cattle until his election to the Nebraska Territorial Legislature in 1861. He was elected to the

Nebraska State Senate The Nebraska Legislature (also called the Unicameral) is the legislature of the U.S. state of Nebraska. The Legislature meets at the Nebraska State Capitol in Lincoln. With 49 members, known as "senators", the Nebraska Legislature is the small ...

in 1863 and won the 1866 election to become Nebraska's first governor. During his second term (1869–1870), Butler moved the state's capital from

Omaha Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest city ...

to present-day Lincoln. In the spring of 1871, soon after taking office for his third term, eleven articles of

impeachment Impeachment is the process by which a legislative body or other legally constituted tribunal initiates charges against a public official for misconduct. It may be understood as a unique process involving both political and legal elements. In ...

were brought against him. The first charged him with misuse of some $16,000 from the state school fund. Butler had allegedly made personal use of this money to purchase lots in the new city of Lincoln. He was suspended from office by the Supreme Court and subsequently tried by the State Senate. In his impeachment trial, he was convicted on the first charge, although the remaining ten were dropped. The Supreme Court then removed him from office on June 2, 1871. In 1877, the Legislature reviewed its action and adopted a resolution expunging the impeachment proceedings from the record. After ten years of retirement from public life, Butler was elected to the Nebraska State Senate on the Independent Ticket in 1882. Running on the Union Labor Ticket in

1888 In Germany, 1888 is known as the Year of the Three Emperors. Currently, it is the year that, when written in Roman numerals, has the most digits (13). The next year that also has 13 digits is the year 2388. The record will be surpassed as late ...

, he again sought the Governorship but was defeated.

Death and legacy

Following this defeat Butler retired to his home in Pawnee City, where he died on May 25, 1891, and is interred at Pawnee City Cemetery. Butler County in eastern Nebraska may have been named for him, but this is disputed, since records seem to indicate that the county was being referred to as "Butler County" before David Butler had served as Governor of Nebraska. Butler also may be the namesake of David City, Nebraska, but this is also disputed.

References

External links

* at the Nebraska State Historical Society *
The Downfall Dictionary
, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Butler, David 1829 births 1891 deaths 19th-century American politicians Governors of Nebraska Impeached state and territorial governors of the United States removed from office Members of the Nebraska Territorial Legislature Nebraska Independents Nebraska politicians convicted of crimes Nebraska Republicans Nebraska state senators People from Greene County, Indiana People from Pawnee City, Nebraska Republican Party governors of Nebraska