David Butler (Nebraska)
Encyclopedia
David C. Butler was a U.S.
political figure. He was the first Governor of Nebraska, serving from 1867 until 1871. He was the first Governor of Nebraska
after statehood and the only Nebraska Governor to date to be impeached.
, as the eldest son of 10 children, Butler was nominated for a state senate seat in Indiana in 1856, but withdrew before the election. He moved three years later to Pawnee City, Nebraska
, and engaged in trading cattle until his election to the Nebraska Territorial Legislature
in 1861. He was elected as a state senator in 1863 and won the 1866 election to become Nebraska's first governor. During his second term (1869–1870), Butler moved the state's capital from Omaha
to present-day Lincoln
.
In the spring of 1871, soon after taking office for his third term, eleven articles of impeachment were brought against him. The first charged him with misuse of some $16,000 from the state school fund. Butler had allegedly made personal use of this money to purchase lots in the new city of Lincoln. He was suspended from office by the Supreme Court and subsequently tried by the State Senate. He was convicted on the first charge, although the remaining ten were dropped. The Supreme Court then removed him from office.
In 1877 the Legislature reviewed its action and adopted a resolution expunging the impeachment proceedings from the record. After ten years of retirement from public life, Butler was elected to the Nebraska State Senate on the Independent Ticket in 1882. Running on the Union Labor Ticket in 1888, he again sought the Governorship but was defeated. Following this defeat he retired to his home in Pawnee City, where he died on May 25, 1891.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
political figure. He was the first Governor of Nebraska, serving from 1867 until 1871. He was the first Governor of Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
after statehood and the only Nebraska Governor to date to be impeached.
Biography
Born near Linton, IndianaLinton, Indiana
Linton is a city in Stockton Township, Greene County, Indiana, United States. The population was 5,774 at the 2000 census. A coal mining city, it is located southeast of Terre Haute. The current mayor is Patti Jones....
, as the eldest son of 10 children, Butler was nominated for a state senate seat in Indiana in 1856, but withdrew before the election. He moved three years later to Pawnee City, Nebraska
Pawnee City, Nebraska
Pawnee City is a city in Pawnee County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 1,033 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Pawnee County.-Geography:Pawnee City is located at...
, and engaged in trading cattle until his election to the Nebraska Territorial Legislature
Nebraska Territorial Legislature
The Nebraska Territorial Legislature was held from January 16, 1855 until 1865 in Omaha City, Nebraska Territory.- Slavery :In 1854 the Kansas-Nebraska Act created the Nebraska Territory, overturning the Missouri Compromise by allowing legislatures of the Nebraska and Kansas territories to...
in 1861. He was elected as a state senator in 1863 and won the 1866 election to become Nebraska's first governor. During his second term (1869–1870), Butler moved the state's capital from Omaha
Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska, United States, and is the county seat of Douglas County. It is located in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about 20 miles north of the mouth of the Platte River...
to present-day Lincoln
Lincoln, Nebraska
The City of Lincoln is the capital and the second-most populous city of the US state of Nebraska. Lincoln is also the county seat of Lancaster County and the home of the University of Nebraska. Lincoln's 2010 Census population was 258,379....
.
In the spring of 1871, soon after taking office for his third term, eleven articles of impeachment were brought against him. The first charged him with misuse of some $16,000 from the state school fund. Butler had allegedly made personal use of this money to purchase lots in the new city of Lincoln. He was suspended from office by the Supreme Court and subsequently tried by the State Senate. He was convicted on the first charge, although the remaining ten were dropped. The Supreme Court then removed him from office.
In 1877 the Legislature reviewed its action and adopted a resolution expunging the impeachment proceedings from the record. After ten years of retirement from public life, Butler was elected to the Nebraska State Senate on the Independent Ticket in 1882. Running on the Union Labor Ticket in 1888, he again sought the Governorship but was defeated. Following this defeat he retired to his home in Pawnee City, where he died on May 25, 1891.