Butler, Benjamin Franklin

Aiton's Encyclopedia (1910)

Benjamin Franklin (1818-1893), an American lawyer, soldier, and statesman. He was a native of Deerfield, New Hampshire , and was graduated at Waterville College, Maine, in 1838. He wrote his own autobiography and reminiscences in 1892. He practiced law at Lowell, Massachusetts. He won a case for a factory girl who brought suit against one of the large cotton mill corporations. Fearing an appeal and the consequent delay, which would be quite as vexatious for the girl as losing her case, Butler attached an indispensable water wheel belonging to the firm, and placed it in charge of the sheriff. An immediate settlement of the case became thus of as much importance to the company as to his client. Later in life he defended Henry Ward Beecher in the famous suit brought by Theodore Tilton. In politics Butler was an ardent Democrat. He sided with the northern Democracy in the split at the Charleston Convention in 1860. During the Civil War Butler became a general. He held Baltimore, lost the battle of Big Bethel, and settled the question of what to do with slaves within the Union lines by coining the expression, "contraband of war." They were known as contrabands for some time. In 1862 he cooperated with Farragut in the capture of New Orleans , and was appointed commander in that city. Hearing that Union soldiers were annoyed by the spiteful remarks of women, who relied upon their sex for protection, he issued an order that any women insulting Northern soldiers with remarks should be "treated as women of the town." In this way he brought upon himself the undying hatred of Southern society women, who believed nothing too base or mean for one whom they accused even of stealing spoons. At the close of the war Butler appeared in politics as a Republican and represented a Massachusetts district twice in Congress. He made four attempts to become the Republican governor of Massachusetts, and was finally elected in 1882 as a Democrat. Harvard University refused to confer the usual degree of LL. D. on him. In 1884 he was the candidate of the Greenback party for the presidency. He was a man of great vigor, and knew his own mind well; but he was coarse fibered and lacked the refinement that marks the true gentleman. See Civil War