William Orlando Butler (April 19, 1791 – August 6, 1880) was a

U.S. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

political figure A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

and

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...

from

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...

. He served as a Democratic congressman from Kentucky from 1839 to 1843, and was the Democratic vice-presidential nominee under Lewis Cass in

1848 1848 is historically famous for the wave of revolutions, a series of widespread struggles for more liberal governments, which broke out from Brazil to Hungary; although most failed in their immediate aims, they significantly altered the polit ...

. Born in Jessamine County, Kentucky, Butler studied law after graduating from

Transylvania University Transylvania University is a private university in Lexington, Kentucky. It was founded in 1780 and was the first university in Kentucky. It offers 46 major programs, as well as dual-degree engineering programs, and is accredited by the Southern ...

. He served in 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 ...

, taking part in the

Battle of the Thames The Battle of the Thames , also known as the Battle of Moraviantown, was an American victory in the War of 1812 against Tecumseh's Confederacy and their British allies. It took place on October 5, 1813, in Upper Canada, near Chatham. The Britis ...

and 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 ...

. After the war, he practiced law in

Carrollton, Kentucky Carrollton is a home rule-class city in—and the county seat of— Carroll County, Kentucky, United States, at the confluence of the Ohio and Kentucky rivers. The population was 3,938 at the 2010 census. Geography Carrollton is located in n ...

and briefly served in the Kentucky House of Representatives. He served in 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 chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

from 1839 to 1843 before running for

Governor of Kentucky The governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky is the head of government of Kentucky. Sixty-two men and one woman have served as governor of Kentucky. The governor's term is four years in length; since 1992, incumbents have been able to seek re-e ...

in 1844. He lost the 1844 gubernatorial election to Whig nominee

William Owsley William Owsley (March 24, 1782 – December 9, 1862) was an associate justice of the Kentucky Court of Appeals and the 16th Governor of Kentucky. He also served in both houses of the Kentucky General Assembly and was Kentucky Secretary of Sta ...

. During the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War, also known in the United States as the Mexican War and in Mexico as the (''United States intervention in Mexico''), was an armed conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848. It followed the 1 ...

, Butler served as a major general of volunteers. He was General

Zachary Taylor Zachary Taylor (November 24, 1784 – July 9, 1850) was an American military leader who served as the 12th president of the United States from 1849 until his death in 1850. Taylor was a career officer in the United States Army, rising to th ...

's second-in-command during the

Battle of Monterrey In the Battle of Monterrey (September 21–24, 1846) during the Mexican–American War, General Pedro de Ampudia and the Mexican Army of the North was defeated by the Army of Occupation, a force of United States Regulars, Volunteers an ...

and later succeeded

Winfield Scott Winfield Scott (June 13, 1786May 29, 1866) was an American military commander and political candidate. He served as a general in the United States Army from 1814 to 1861, taking part in the War of 1812, the Mexican–American War, the early s ...

as the commander of American forces occupying

Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital city, capital and primate city, largest city of Mexico, and the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North Amer ...

. The

1848 Democratic National Convention The 1848 Democratic National Convention was a presidential nominating convention that met from Monday May 22 to Thursday May 25 in Baltimore, Maryland. It was held to nominate the Democratic Party's candidates for President and Vice president i ...

nominated a ticket of Cass and Butler, but the Whig ticket of Taylor and

Millard Fillmore Millard Fillmore (January 7, 1800March 8, 1874) was the 13th president of the United States, serving from 1850 to 1853; he was the last to be a member of the Whig Party while in the White House. A former member of the U.S. House of Represen ...

won the 1848 presidential election. He attended the

Peace Conference of 1861 The Peace Conference of 1861 was a meeting of 131 leading American politicians in February 1861, at the Willard's Hotel in Washington, D.C., on the eve of the American Civil War. The purpose of the conference was to avoid, if possible, the seces ...

, which sought to defuse the secession crisis that arose following the 1860 presidential election. During the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

, Butler was a

War Democrat War Democrats in American politics of the 1860s were members of the Democratic Party who supported the Union and rejected the policies of the Copperheads (or Peace Democrats). The War Democrats demanded a more aggressive policy toward the Con ...

who favored the

Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

Early life

Butler, the son of Mildred Hawkins and Gen. Percival Butler, was born in Jessamine County, Kentucky (then Fayette County), and graduated from

in 1812. He began the study of law with Robert Wickliffe, but his education was interrupted by the

War of 1812

Battle of the River Raisin

When the

began, Butler volunteered as a private to fight the British and the Indians. He took part in the Battle of the River Raisin. During the battle, Butler and fellow soldiers defended themselves behind a

fencerow In agriculture, fences are used to keep animals in or out of an area. They can be made from a wide variety of materials, depending on terrain, location and animals to be confined. Most agricultural fencing averages about high, and in some places ...

. The Indians poured such an intense fire on the fencerow that when it was over Butler found that his clothes were riddled with bullets. While the British were being decimated by American riflemen behind the cover of fences from the left position of the American lines, the British placed their soldiers in the cover of a barn in front of the American positions 150 yards away. Butler volunteered to conduct a hit-and-run operation to destroy the barn to deprive the British of cover in the barn. Butler carried a firebrand in the face of steady enemy gunfire, Butler raced to the barn and set it ablaze. Butler withdrew back to the American lines to gather straw. He then raced to the barn to place the straw on the fire. With the barn destroyed, Butler safely returned to the American lines. Later, the whole American force were defeated and captured.

Battle of the Thames

After the British captured Butler and sent him to

Fort Niagara Fort Niagara is a fortification originally built by New France to protect its interests in North America, specifically control of access between the Niagara River and Lake Ontario, the easternmost of the Great Lakes. The fort is on the river's e ...

where he remained until the British freed him on parole. He returned to Kentucky only to join the American forces that met the British and Indians at the

in 1813.

Battle of New Orleans

Butler and his men were sent to New Orleans to assist

Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was an American lawyer, planter, general, and statesman who served as the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before being elected to the presidency, he gained fame as ...

in the city's defense. He distinguished himself during the

. Among the men under his command was future Florida governor

Richard Keith Call Richard Keith Call (October 24, 1792 – September 14, 1862) was an American attorney, politician, and slave owner who served as the 3rd and 5th territorial governor of Florida. Before that, he was elected to the Florida Territorial Council and a ...

, who would remain lifelong friends with Butler.

Political career

After the end of the War of 1812, Butler returned to Kentucky, resumed his legal studies, and attained admission to the bar. From 1817 to 1844, he practiced law in Carrollton. Butler served in the Kentucky House of Representatives in 1817 and 1818. From 1839 to 1843, he served as a congressman. In 1844, he received a unanimous nomination of the Democratic Party for governor. Described as the most formidable candidate that the Democrats had ever nominated for governor, Butler's race against Whig candidate

was close. Owsley won with 59,680 votes to Butler's 55,056.

Mexican-American War

When the Mexican War broke out, Butler again joined the army. On June 29, 1846, he was appointed major general of volunteers and commanded the 1st Volunteer Division in the Army of Occupation. He served as second-in-command to

during the

, in which he was wounded. On February 18, 1848, he superseded General

as the commanding general of the American army in Mexico City. He left the service on August 18, 1848, after he had been selected as the Democratic Vice Presidential nominee.

Election of 1848

, Butler was the Democratic candidate for Vice President of the United States. At the

, delegate Francis P. Blair was a leader of the movement to put Butler on the ticket with Lewis Cass, and Butler won the nomination on the first ballot over John A. Quitman and William R. King. In the general election, the ticket of Cass and Butler was defeated by Whig candidates

and

. Butler was the first non-incumbent Democratic vice presidential candidate to lose election.

Later years

Butler turned down the

governorship A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

of the

Nebraska Territory The Territory of Nebraska was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 30, 1854, until March 1, 1867, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Nebraska. The Nebrask ...

in 1855. Politically, Butler was a moderate. Although a slaveholder, he was opposed to the extension of slavery and favored gradual legal emancipation. He stood firmly for the preservation of the Union and was a Union Democrat during the

. He was present at the

peace conference of 1861 The Peace Conference of 1861 was a meeting of 131 leading American politicians in February 1861, at the Willard's Hotel in Washington, D.C., on the eve of the American Civil War. The purpose of the conference was to avoid, if possible, the seces ...

, a gathering of political leaders that met in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

in an attempt to avert the impending

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

. Butler also authored a volume of poetry entitled ''The Boatman's Horn, and Other Poems''.

Death and burial

Butler died in

on August 6, 1880 at age 89. He was interred in the Butler family cemetery in Carrollton.

Legacy

The Gen. William O. Butler House, his home in

, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Places named for General Butler: *

Butler County, Iowa Butler County is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 14,334. Its county seat is Allison. The county was organized in 1854 and named for General William O. Butler. History Butler County was fo ...

Butler County, Missouri Butler County is a County (United States), county located in the southeast Ozark Foothills Region in the U.S. state of Missouri. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 Census, the county's population was 42,130. The largest city and county s ...

Butler County, Nebraska Butler County is a county in the U.S. state of Nebraska. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 8,369. Its county seat is David City. The county was created in 1856 and organized in 1868. In the Nebraska license plate system ...

* Butler, Missouri (in Bates County) * General Butler State Resort Park near

. * Butler Township, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania *

Butler, Georgia Butler is the county seat of Taylor County, Georgia, United States. Its population was 1,972 at the 2010 census. Geography Butler is located at (32.557, -84.239). The city is located along U.S. Route 19, which is the main route through the cit ...

References

External links

*
William Orlando Butler
at Kentucky State Parks , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Butler, William Orlando 1791 births 1880 deaths American military personnel of the Mexican–American War American slave owners United States Army personnel of the War of 1812 Democratic Party (United States) vice presidential nominees Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Kentucky Kentucky lawyers Democratic Party members of the Kentucky House of Representatives People from Jessamine County, Kentucky People from Kentucky in the War of 1812 Transylvania University alumni United States Army generals 1848 United States vice-presidential candidates War of 1812 prisoners of war held by the United Kingdom