William Orlando Butler

William Orlando Butler

William Orlando Butler (born April 19, 1791 in Jessamine County , Kentucky , † August 6, 1880 in Carrollton , Kentucky) was an American politician . He was the Democratic candidate for vice-presidency alongside Lewis Cass in the 1848 presidential election .

Officer and MP

Butler graduated from Transylvania University in 1812 . He then joined the US Army during the British-American War and took part in a number of battles in the southern states , including the Battle of New Orleans in January 1815. After the war, he worked as a lawyer from 1817 to 1844. During this time he represented the 13th  constituency of his home state from 1839 to 1843 for two session in the US House of Representatives . In 1844 he ran unsuccessfully for governor of Kentucky.

On June 29, 1846, Butler was appointed major general of a US Army volunteer division that fought in the Mexican-American War . He was Deputy Commander in Chief under Zachary Taylor at the Battle of Monterrey , during which he was wounded. On February 18, 1848 he replaced Winfield Scott as commanding general of the American Army; exactly six months later he retired from active service.

Candidate for the vice-presidency

That same year, Butler ran as a Democratic Party candidate for US Vice President. His running mate as a candidate to succeed the outgoing President James K. Polk was former US Senator Lewis Cass. This lost the election, however, against the candidate of the Whigs , Butler's former superior Zachary Taylor; Millard Fillmore became Vice President . William Butler was the first non-running Democrat who was not elected Vice President.

As a result, Butler barely appeared politically. In 1855 he turned down the proposed office of governor in the Nebraska Territory . In 1861 he took part in the peace conference in Washington, DC , which tried in vain to avert the civil war ; During the war he was one of the War Democrats , that wing of his party that opposed the secession of the southern states. He was a slave owner himself , but was against the expansion of slavery and advocated gradual emancipation.

The Butler County in Iowa , the Butler County in Nebraska and the Butler County in Missouri were named in his honor, as is the General Butler State Resort Park in Carrollton and the Butler Township in Pennsylvania .

Web links

Commons : William Orlando Butler  - Album containing pictures, videos and audio files

• William Orlando Butler in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)

• William Orlando Butler in the database of Find a Grave (English)