Benjamin F. Butler

Benjamin F. Butler
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Name	Benjamin F. Butler
Caption	Benjamin F. Butler, c. 1860–1875
Office	Governor of Massachusetts
Term start	January 4, 1883
Term end	January 3, 1884
Predecessor	John Davis Long
Successor	George D. Robinson
Office1	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts
Term start1	March 4, 1867
Term end1	March 3, 1875
Term start2	March 4, 1877
Term end2	March 3, 1879
Predecessor2	John K. Tarbox
Successor2	William A. Russell
Constituency2	7th district
Office3	Military Governor of New Orleans
Term start3	May 1, 1862
Term end3	December 16, 1862
Appointer3	Abraham Lincoln
Predecessor3	Office established
Successor3	Nathaniel P. Banks
Birth name	Benjamin Franklin Butler
Birth date	November 5, 1818
Birth place	Deerfield, New Hampshire
Death date	January 11, 1893 (aged 74)
Death place	Washington, D.C.
Party	Democratic (before 1861), Republican (1861– c. 1874), Greenback (c. 1874–1884), Democratic (1884–1893)
Spouse	Sarah Hildreth, May 16, 1844
Education	Waterville College (BA)
Allegiance	United States
Branch	United States Army
Serviceyears	1861–1865
Rank	25px Major General
Commands	Department of Virginia and North Carolina, Army of the James
Battles	American Civil War, • Battle of Big Bethel, • Battle of Hatteras Inlet Batteries, • Capture of New Orleans, • First Battle of Fort Fisher, • Second Battle of Fort Fisher

Benjamin F. Butler was a prominent and controversial Union Army officer, politician, and lawyer during the American Civil War and Reconstruction era. Known for his aggressive administration as military governor of New Orleans and his advocacy for freedmen's rights, he was a polarizing figure nicknamed "Beast Butler" in the Confederacy and "Spoons Butler" for allegations of pilfering silver. His post-war political career was marked by shifting party allegiances and a persistent, often radical, populism.

Early life and education

Benjamin Franklin Butler was born in Deerfield, New Hampshire, the youngest of five children to Captain John Butler and Charlotte Ellison Butler. After his father's death in a War of 1812 battle aboard the privateer USS *America*, he was raised by his mother in Lowell, Massachusetts. He attended public schools before enrolling at Waterville College (now Colby College) in Maine, where he graduated in 1838. He subsequently studied law under attorneys William Parmenter and Henry W. Paine in Lowell, was admitted to the Massachusetts Bar in 1840, and quickly established a successful practice.

Legal and early political career

Butler built a formidable reputation as a criminal and trial lawyer in Lowell, often defending the interests of the New England textile mill workers against the powerful corporations. This work aligned him with the Democratic Party, and he was elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 1853 and the Massachusetts Senate in 1859. A delegate to the 1860 Democratic National Conventions, he initially supported Jefferson Davis for the presidential nomination before backing John C. Breckinridge after the party split, reflecting his pro-slavery and states' rights stance at the time.

American Civil War

Despite his Democratic leanings, Butler, a brigadier general in the Massachusetts Militia, was one of the first to lead Union Army troops to defend Washington, D.C. after the Attack on Fort Sumter. His early command at Fort Monroe led to his controversial "contraband" decision, declaring escaped enslaved people as confiscated enemy property and refusing to return them, a pivotal step toward emancipation. In 1862, he commanded the force that captured New Orleans and served as its military governor, where his harsh administration, including the infamous "Woman Order" and execution of a man for desecrating a United States flag, earned him deep hatred in the South. His military career ended after failures in the Bermuda Hundred Campaign and the First Battle of Fort Fisher, leading to his removal by Ulysses S. Grant.

Postbellum political career

Elected to the United States House of Representatives as a Radical Republican in 1866, Butler became a leading and aggressive voice for Radical Reconstruction. He served as a House manager during the impeachment of Andrew Johnson and was a chief author of the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871. His political base shifted toward labor interests and Greenback monetary policy, leading him to join the Greenback Party and later return to the Democratic Party. He was elected Governor of Massachusetts in 1882 and was the presidential nominee of the Greenback Party and the Anti-Monopoly Party, but his national ambitions were unsuccessful.

Later life and death

After leaving the Massachusetts State House, Butler resumed his legal practice in Washington, D.C., remaining a vocal public figure. He continued to write and speak on political issues, publishing a memoir, *Butler's Book*, in 1892. He died of complications from bronchitis at his home in Washington, D.C. on January 11, 1893. His funeral was held at St. John's Episcopal Church, Lafayette Square, and he was interred in his wife's family plot at Hildreth Cemetery in Lowell, Massachusetts.

Category:1818 births Category:1893 deaths Category:American military personnel of the American Civil War Category:Governors of Massachusetts Category:Members of the United States House of Representatives from Massachusetts