Pierce Mason Butler (1798–1847) was a governor of South Carolina, a bank president, a trustee of South Carolina College, a federal agent for the Cherokee and Comanche, and a colonel in the United States Army. Butler, Alabama is named in his honor.
Pierce Mason Butler Family
Pierce was born into one of America’s early political dynasties in the Edgefield District of South Carolina, on April 11, 1798. His father, Major General William Butler (1759-1821), brother Andrew Pickens Butler (1796-1857), and brother William Butler, Jr. (1790-1850), all represented South Carolina in the United States Congress. His mother, Behethland Foote Moore Butler (1764–1853), taught her children that they were born to serve their country.
Military and Banking Careers
After graduation from South Carolina College, Pierce joined the United States Army as a second lieutenant in 1819. Over the next 10 years, he served in the U.S. Seventh Infantry Regiment at Fort Smith in the Arkansas Territory and led a unit that built and garrisoned Fort Gibson in modern-day Oklahoma. He left the army with the rank of captain in 1829.
Back home in South Carolina, Pierce turned his focus to banking. He went to work for the Columbia branch of the Bank of the State of South Carolina and was its president from 1833 to 1836. He also became a trustee of his alma mater, South Carolina College.
Governor Pierce Mason Butler
Pierce wasn’t particularly interested in being a politician, but South Carolina political leaders sought to make him governor. He stated that he would not seek the office, but that he would accept it “as a point of honor” if elected. He was elected the 56th governor of South Carolina by secret ballot in 1836.
As governor, Pierce called for the state to put aside divisive issues and committed himself to revitalizing South Carolina’s militia system. He also established a commission to find ways to improve South Carolina’s public schools.
The first test of Pierce’s leadership came in his first year as governor. South Carolina and the rest of the country experienced a financial crisis and major depression known as The Panic of 1837. Pierce responded by supporting currency regulation and the rechartering of a national bank.
The second test of his leadership came in April 1838, when a fire swept through Charleston and caused nearly $4 million in damage. In response, Pierce summoned South Carolina legislators for a special session and they passed the Fire Loan Bill, which authorized the state to make loans to rebuild the city.
After his term as Governor ended in 1838, Pierce sought opportunities to rebuild his finances. In 1841, President John Tyler appointed him federal agent for the Cherokee and Comanche in present-day Muskogee County, Oklahoma. He served until 1845, when he was forced to resign due to crippling arthritis.
Butler, Alabama is Named After Pierce Mason Butler
In 1846, despite significant health issues, Pierce was appointed colonel and commander of the Palmetto Regiment of South Carolina Volunteers in the Mexican-American War. He was killed on August 20, 1847, while leading troops against a Mexican stronghold in the Battle of Churubusco near Mexico City,
Shortly after his death, Butler, Alabama in Choctaw County was named in honor of Pierce Mason Butler.
Marriage to Miranda Julia Duval and Children
Pierce married Miranda Julia Duval (1800-1862) on May 22, 1826 and they had six children:
- Behethland Pawnee Butler Bacon (1829-1856)
- Emeline E. Butler Perrin (1832-Unknown). She married Civil War Confederate Brigadier General Abner Monroe Perrin.
- William Loudon Butler (1833-1863)
- Pierce Mason Butler (1837-1876)
- Andrew Pickens Butler (1839-1899)
- Edward Julian “Ebby” Butler (1842-1862)
Pierce Mason Butler is buried in the Butler Family Cemetery at Butler Methodist Church in Saluda County, South Carolina. He is buried with his mother, father, sister, five of his six brothers, and other family members. Collectively, they were a general, four colonels, a lieutenant colonel, three majors, and one judge. Three were members of Congress.
Primary Sources:
- South Carolina Governor – Pierce Mason Butler – 1836-1838. (n.d.).
- Pierce Mason Butler – National Governors Association. (2011, January 12).
- The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography, Vol. 12. New York: James T. White & Company.
