Benjamin Butler Papers
1796-1910
SC12417

Quantity:	10 boxes (4.0 cubic feet)
Access:	Open to Research
Acquisition:	Gift of Elizabeth and Mary Kirkbridge, 1965
Processed by:	Allison Trent, Student Intern, University of Albany, October 1991

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Biographical Note:

Benjamin F. Butler (1795-1858), lawyer and politician, is probably best known for his work in 1825 as a member of the commission for the revision of the statutes of the State of New York, in which he was associated with John Duer and John C. Spencer. His lifelong friendship with Martin Van Buren was also noteworthy. Born in Kinderhook, he studied law in Albany, was admitted to the bar in 1817, and for four years thereafter was a partner at Albany in Van Buren's office. From 1827 to 1833 he was a member of the State Legislature, and during the next five years was attorney general in President Andrew Jackson's cabinet. With the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act in 1854 he left the Democratic ranks and joined the newly-formed Republican Party. He refused cabinet appointments under Presidents Van Buren and Polk, preferring the practice of his chosen profession.

Scope and Content Note:

The bulk of the papers consist of letters Mr. Butler wrote between 1815 and 1858 to Mrs. Butler, the former Harriet Allen of Hudson, whom he married in 1818. They are long and detailed, the handwriting small and the lines compact. They abound in apt phrases and vivid descriptions of natural scenery and personalities. They reflect the character of the man and his varied interests - law, politics and public affairs, close friendships, education of youth, temperance, religion.

His life in Albany as a young lawyer, earnestly studying, caring for his partner's private business while Van Buren was attorney general of New York, and embarking on his own legal career, forms the chief subject of the earlier letters. Those written from Washington, where throughout his professional life he argued cases before the United States Supreme Court and where he spent the years 1833-1838 as attorney general of the United States, would well repay careful perusal by the student of the political and economic history of the times. He wrote at length to Mrs. Butler about presidential appointments, resignations, and controversial issues, in a number of instances making such marginal annotations as "All secret" or "This is a secret."

Changes in travel conditions with the advent, extension, and improvements of railroads are commented on as he reports details of his trips between Albany and Washington. Presidential elections, the annexation of Texas, the extension of slavery, trouble in Mexico, the South Sea exploring expedition of 1836 are a few of the national subjects he discusses. In 1844 he made a western tour, the highlight of which was a visit of several days with former President Jackson at the Hermitage in Tennessee - the fulfillment of a lifelong ambition. Jackson's displays of temper in his differences with General Scott over the handling of affairs in Mexico failed to shake Butler's admiration for Old Hickory. These papers contain correspondence between Butler and other prominent personalities - John A. Dix, John C. Spencer, Chancellor James Kent, Thomas Hart Benton, etc., as well as Martin Van Buren, whose invitation to stay at the White House Butler accepted, since he would be allowed to "hermitize" there. In addition to correspondence, these papers contain legal briefs and opinions related to Butler's law practice and other assorted personal ephemera.

Box and Folder List

Correspondence - Family