William Butler Jr. (February 1, 1790 – September 25, 1850) was a

United States representative 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 chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

from

South Carolina )'' Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

. 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 The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washing ...

Early life

Butler was born near the present town of

Saluda, South Carolina Saluda is a town in Saluda County, South Carolina, United States, along the Little Saluda River. The population was 3,565 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Saluda County. Geography Saluda is located at (34.003131, -81.771691). Accordi ...

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 Columbia is the List of capitals in the United States, capital of the U.S. state of South Carolina. With a population of 136,632 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is List of municipalities in South Carolina, the second-largest ...

in 1810. He had studied medicine and was licensed to practice.Martin, Samuel J., ''Southern Hero, Matthew Calbraith Butler'', Stackpole Books, 2001

Career

During the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States, United States of America and its Indigenous peoples of the Americas, indigenous allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom ...

, he served as a

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

surgeon at the

Battle of New Orleans The Battle of New Orleans was fought on January 8, 1815 between the British Army under Major General Sir Edward Pakenham and the United States Army under Brevet Major General Andrew Jackson, roughly 5 miles (8 km) southeast of the Frenc ...

. Butler served in the

Navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It in ...

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 The Cherokee (; chr, ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏯᎢ, translit=Aniyvwiyaʔi or Anigiduwagi, or chr, ᏣᎳᎩ, links=no, translit=Tsalagi) are one of the indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, t ...

Indians from May 29, 1849, until his death the following year.

Personal life

While stationed in

Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area and the seventh-least populous, with slightly fewer than 1.1 million residents as of 2020, but it ...

in 1819, he married Jane Tweedy Perry. She was a daughter of

Christopher Raymond Perry Christopher Raymond Perry (December 4, 1761 – June 1, 1818) was an officer in the United States Navy who was appointed Chief Justice of the Court of Common Pleas for Washington County, Rhode Island, in 1780 and served until 1791. He was th ...

, and was a sister to

Oliver Hazard Perry Oliver Hazard Perry (August 23, 1785 – August 23, 1819) was an American naval commander, born in South Kingstown, Rhode Island. The best-known and most prominent member of the Perry family naval dynasty, he was the son of Sarah Wallace A ...

and

Matthew Calbraith Perry Matthew Calbraith Perry (April 10, 1794 – March 4, 1858) was a commodore of the United States Navy who commanded ships in several wars, including the War of 1812 and the Mexican–American War (1846–1848). He played a leading role in the op ...

. Together, they were the parents of many children, including Matthew Calbraith Butler. Butler died in

Fort Gibson Fort Gibson is a historic military site next to the modern city of Fort Gibson, in Muskogee County Oklahoma. It guarded the American frontier in Indian Territory from 1824 to 1888. When it was constructed, the fort was farther west than any ot ...

Indian Territory The Indian Territory and the Indian Territories are terms that generally described an evolving land area set aside by the United States Government for the relocation of Native Americans who held aboriginal title to their land as a sovereign ...

(now Oklahoma) on September 25, 1850. He was buried near

Van Buren, Arkansas Van Buren ( ) is the second-largest city in the Fort Smith, Arkansas–Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Area and the county seat of Crawford County, Arkansas, United States. The city is located directly northeast of Fort Smith at the Interst ...

References

External links

*
Collected Receipts of William Butler of Greenville
- Greenville County Library System Digital Collections {{DEFAULTSORT:Butler, William (1790-1850) 1790 births 1850 deaths People from Saluda, South Carolina South Carolina Whigs Members of the United States House of Representatives from South Carolina University of South Carolina alumni United States Navy personnel of the War of 1812 Butler-Belmont family Whig Party members of the United States House of Representatives 19th-century American politicians