John George Butler
Encyclopedia
John George Butler was a prominent Lutheran clergyman who served as Chaplain of the Senate and as Chaplain of the United States House of Representatives
.
on January 28, 1826, the son of Jonathan Butler. His paternal grandfather and namesake was a well-known pioneer minister of the Evangelical Lutheran church. He was educated at the Cumberland Academy and graduated from the Pennsylvania College (now Gettysburg College
), and the Gettysburg Lutheran Seminary at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
. He worked for a time at his father’s store in Berlin, Pennsylvania
.
in 1849, serving there twenty-four years. He was one of the first regimental and hospital chaplains appointed by President Abraham Lincoln
at the outbreak of the American Civil War
. He also served as chaplain to one of Lincoln’s assassins, assuring him of divine compassion even to the gallows. At the end of the war he returned to Washington and was elected Chaplain of the United States House of Representatives
.
He was the organizing pastor of the Luther Place Memorial Church
, in Washington, D.C., founded in 1873. He was also responsible for the heroic statue of Martin Luther
in Luther Place, erected in 1884 on Luther's 400th anniversary.
Butler served as Chaplain of the Senate (1886–1893), and as professor of church history and homiletics at Howard University
.
He died at the age of 83, on August 3, 1909, in his home, in Washington, D.C.
Chaplain of the United States House of Representatives
The election of William Linn as Chaplain of the House on May 1, 1789, continued the tradition established by the Continental Congresses of each day's proceedings opening with a prayer by a chaplain. The early Chaplains alternated duties with their Senate counterparts on a weekly basis, covering the...
.
Early years
John George Butler was born in Cumberland, MarylandCumberland, Maryland
Cumberland is a city in the far western, Appalachian portion of Maryland, United States. It is the county seat of Allegany County, and the primary city of the Cumberland, MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area. At the 2010 census, the city had a population of 20,859, and the metropolitan area had a...
on January 28, 1826, the son of Jonathan Butler. His paternal grandfather and namesake was a well-known pioneer minister of the Evangelical Lutheran church. He was educated at the Cumberland Academy and graduated from the Pennsylvania College (now Gettysburg College
Gettysburg College
Gettysburg College is a private four-year liberal arts college founded in 1832, in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, United States, adjacent to the famous battlefield. Its athletic teams are nicknamed the Bullets. Gettysburg College has about 2,700 students, with roughly equal numbers of men and women...
), and the Gettysburg Lutheran Seminary at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
Gettysburg is a borough that is the county seat, part of the Gettysburg Battlefield, and the eponym for the 1863 Battle of Gettysburg. The town hosts visitors to the Gettysburg National Military Park and has 3 institutions of higher learning: Lutheran Theological Seminary, Gettysburg College, and...
. He worked for a time at his father’s store in Berlin, Pennsylvania
Berlin, Pennsylvania
Berlin, a borough located approximately 75 miles southeast of Pittsburgh in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, United States, was laid out in 1784 and incorporated on February 7, 1833. The population was 2,192 at the 2000 census...
.
Ministry
Ordained in 1848, he became pastor of the St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
in 1849, serving there twenty-four years. He was one of the first regimental and hospital chaplains appointed by President Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
at the outbreak of the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. He also served as chaplain to one of Lincoln’s assassins, assuring him of divine compassion even to the gallows. At the end of the war he returned to Washington and was elected Chaplain of the United States House of Representatives
Chaplain of the United States House of Representatives
The election of William Linn as Chaplain of the House on May 1, 1789, continued the tradition established by the Continental Congresses of each day's proceedings opening with a prayer by a chaplain. The early Chaplains alternated duties with their Senate counterparts on a weekly basis, covering the...
.
He was the organizing pastor of the Luther Place Memorial Church
Luther Place Memorial Church
Luther Place Memorial Church was built in 1873 as a memorial to peace and reconciliation following the American Civil War. Its original name was Memorial Evangelical Lutheran Church and it was designed by architects Judson York, J.C. Harkness, and Henry Davis. It is located in Thomas Circle in...
, in Washington, D.C., founded in 1873. He was also responsible for the heroic statue of Martin Luther
Martin Luther
Martin Luther was a German priest, professor of theology and iconic figure of the Protestant Reformation. He strongly disputed the claim that freedom from God's punishment for sin could be purchased with money. He confronted indulgence salesman Johann Tetzel with his Ninety-Five Theses in 1517...
in Luther Place, erected in 1884 on Luther's 400th anniversary.
Butler served as Chaplain of the Senate (1886–1893), and as professor of church history and homiletics at Howard University
Howard University
Howard University is a federally chartered, non-profit, private, coeducational, nonsectarian, historically black university located in Washington, D.C., United States...
.
He died at the age of 83, on August 3, 1909, in his home, in Washington, D.C.