Home of Gen. William O. Butler
Carrollton, Carroll County, Kentucky
Marker Inscription
Home of Gen. Butler. Gen. William O. Butler, born Kentucky 1791, died here, 1880. War of 1812: River Raisin, Pensacola, and New Orleans. Gen. Andrew Jackson's staff 1816-17. Cited for heroism in Mexican War 1846-48. Practiced law here. Congressman 1839-43. Defeated as candidate for Governor 1844, Vice President 1848 and US Senate 1851. A Kentucky Commissioner to Peace Conference in Feb. 1861. Erected July 21, 1964. For more information, see ExploreKYHistory: Home of General Butler
Erected by Kentucky Historical Society
The Story
This was the home of General William O. Butler, a Kentucky soldier and statesman whose career spanned the young republic's formative wars. Born in 1791, he fought at the River Raisin, Pensacola, and New Orleans during the War of 1812, served on Andrew Jackson's staff, and won praise for heroism in the Mexican War. A lawyer and congressman, he ran unsuccessfully for governor, vice president, and the Senate, and in 1861 served as a Kentucky commissioner to a last-ditch peace conference.
Why it matters
Butler's life connects two generations of American conflict and the border-state statesmanship that struggled, in vain, to head off the Civil War.
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Related people
- · William O. Butler
- · Andrew Jackson
Themes & tags
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