Samuel Butler (February 2, 1825 – February 1, 1891) was an American politician who served as

Pennsylvania State Treasurer The Pennsylvania State Treasurer is the head of the Pennsylvania Treasury Department, an independent department of state government. The state treasurer is elected every four years. Treasurers are limited to two consecutive terms. The Pennsylva ...

from 1880 to 1882. A member of the

Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa *Republican Party (Liberia) * Republican Part ...

from

Chester County Chester County may refer to: * Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States * Chester County, South Carolina, United States * Chester County, Tennessee, United States * Cheshire or the County Palatine of Chester, a ceremonial county in the North Wes ...

, Butler previously served in the

Pennsylvania House of Representatives The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Pennsylvania General Assembly, the legislature of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. There are 203 members, elected for two-year terms from single member districts. It ...

from 1877 to 1880. He unsuccessfully sought his party's gubernatorial nomination in

1882 Events January–March * January 2 ** The Standard Oil Trust is secretly created in the United States to control multiple corporations set up by John D. Rockefeller and his associates. ** Irish-born author Oscar Wilde arrives in ...

Life and career

Butler was born in Upper Uwchlan Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania, to farmer-parents James and Mary Butler. He attended the local public school and went on to attend Unionville Academy in neighboring East Marlborough Township, where he studied under Jonathan Grause, a well-known teacher who had instructed

Bayard Taylor Bayard Taylor (January 11, 1825December 19, 1878) was an American poet, literary critic, translator, travel author, and diplomat. As a poet, he was very popular, with a crowd of more than 4,000 attending a poetry reading once, which was a record ...

and other local luminaries. After graduation, he spent eight years teaching school in Chester as well as Berks and

Butler A butler is a person who works in a house serving and is a domestic worker in a large household. In great houses, the household is sometimes divided into departments with the butler in charge of the dining room, wine cellar, and pantry. Some a ...

counties. In 1849, he returned home to Upper Uwchlan, married, and settled down on the family farm, where he remained for the rest of his life save for his service in

Harrisburg Harrisburg is the capital city of the Pennsylvania, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, Dauphin County. With a population of 50,135 as of the 2021 census, Harrisburg is the List of c ...

. He served as a member of the local school board until 1876 and Chester County's director of the poor from 1865 to 1871. He served as a member of the board of directors of the National Bank of Downingtown, vice president of the Chester County Guarantee Trust and Safe Deposit Company, and president of the Farmers' National Bank of West Chester. Butler was elected to three consecutive terms in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, serving from 1877 to 1880. In lieu of seeking a fourth legislative term, Butler ran for Pennsylvania Treasurer. Nominated by acclamation at the Republican state convention, Butler won his statewide election in November 1879, defeating Democratic nominee Daniel O. Barr by a margin of 58,600 votes. He served from May 1880 through 1882. He ran for his party's nomination for governor in 1882 but lost out to

James A. Beaver James Addams Beaver (October 21, 1837 – January 31, 1914) was an American attorney, recruiter and field commander of Pennsylvania Infantry who was wounded four times during the American Civil War, and politician who served as the 20th governor ...

, who went on to lose the general election. At the Republican state convention in May 1882, Butler sought the Republican nomination for

Pennsylvania's at-large congressional district The U.S. state of Pennsylvania elected its United States representatives at-large on a general ticket for the first and third United States Congresses. General ticket representation was prohibited by the 1842 Apportionment Bill and subsequent legi ...

but lost to Thomas M. Marshall.

Personal life

In October 1850, Butler married Margaret Paschall Woodward of West Chester. The couple had three children who all survived their father: Anna (born November 3, 1851), Thomas S. (born November 4, 1854), and Henry J. (born August 25, 1859). Both of his sons became lawyers.

Thomas S. Butler Thomas Stalker Butler (November 4, 1855 – May 26, 1928) was an American politician who served as a U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania from March 4, 1897 until his death, having been elected to the House sixteen times. He was the father ...

went on to serve as a judge and then as a member of the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

for thirty years. Thomas's son (Samuel's grandson) was

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

Major General and two-time

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. ...

recipient Smedley Butler. Samuel Butler's elder brother was William Butler, judge on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Butler died of stomach or kidney disease at his home in West Chester. He was interred at

Oaklands Cemetery Oaklands Cemetery is a rural cemetery founded in 1854 in West Goshen Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania. It is located at 1042 Pottstown Pike and is approximately in size. Description and history The Oaklands Cemetery was founded in respon ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Butler, Samuel 1825 births 1891 deaths People from East Marlborough Township, Pennsylvania Republican Party members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives State treasurers of Pennsylvania 19th-century American politicians Burials at Oaklands Cemetery Politicians from Chester County, Pennsylvania