Pierce Mason Butler

Pierce Mason Butler (April 11, 1798ndash August 20, 1847) was an American soldier and statesman who served as Governor of South Carolina from 1836 to 1838. He was killed while seving as Colonel of the Palmetto Regiment at the Battle of Churubusco during the Mexican-American War.

A native of Edgefield County, South Carolina, Butler was the son of William Butler (1759-1821) and the brother of Andrew Pickens Butler and William Butler, Jr. He was educated by Moses Waddel at the Willington Academy in Willington, South Carolina (located in present day McCormick County).

Butler was appointed a second lieutenant in the United States Army in 1818 and eventually rose to the rank of captain before resigning his commission in 1829. Following his term as Governor of South Carolina he became agent to the Cherokee at Fort Gibson (present day Muskogee County, Oklahoma), a post he held until 1846. Following his death, Butler's body was returned to Edgefield County for burial.

James C. Gardner, who served from 1954–1958 as the mayor of Shreveport, Louisiana, is a descendant of Pierce Mason Butler.

External links

* [http://www.sciway.net/hist/governors/butler.html SCIway Biography of Pierce Mason Butler]
* [http://www.nga.org/portal/site/nga/menuitem.29fab9fb4add37305ddcbeeb501010a0/?vgnextoid=c1eec76c0964a010VgnVCM1000001a01010aRCRD&vgnextchannel=e449a0ca9e3f1010VgnVCM1000001a01010aRCRD NGA Biography of Pierce Mason Butler]