William Butler (1790-1850)

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William Butler (February 1, 1790 - September 25, 1850) was a United States Representative from South Carolina. He was the son of William Butler (1759-1821), brother of Andrew Butler, and father of Matthew Butler all of whom served in the United States Congress. Brother Pierce Mason Butler was Governor of South Carolina from 1836 to 1838.

Butler was born in the Edgefield District, South Carolina near the present town of Saluda, South Carolina. He attended the common schools, and was graduated from South Carolina College at Columbia, South Carolina in 1810. He studied medicine and was licensed to practice. During the War of 1812, he served as a surgeon in the Battle of New Orleans on the American side. While stationed in Rhode Island in 1819 he met Jane Tweedy Perry whom he married. Jane was the daughter of Christopher Raymond Perry and Sarah Wallace Alexander. He continued with service in the Navy until June 6, 1820, when he resigned. In 1825 they moved to Greenville, South Carolina where William began practice as a country doctor.

Butler was elected as a Whig to the Twenty-seventh Congress (March 4, 1841-March 3, 1843). He served as agent of the Cherokee Indians from May 29, 1849, until his death in Fort Gibson, Indian Territory (now Oklahoma), in 1850. He was buried near Van Buren, Arkansas.

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