Benjamin Butterworth | |
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Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Ohio's 1st district |
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In office March 4, 1879 – March 3, 1883 |
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Preceded by | Milton Sayler |
Succeeded by | John F. Follett |
In office March 4, 1885 – March 3, 1891 |
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Preceded by | John F. Follett |
Succeeded by | Bellamy Storer |
Member of the Ohio Senate from the second district |
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In office January 5, 1874 – January 2, 1876 |
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Preceded by | Peter Murphy |
Succeeded by | Peter M. Dechant |
Personal details | |
Born |
Maineville, Ohio |
October 22, 1837
Died | January 16, 1898 Thomasville, Georgia |
(aged 60)
Resting place | Rock Creek Cemetery |
Political party | Republican |
Alma mater | Ohio University |
Profession | Politician, Lawyer |
Benjamin Butterworth (October 22, 1837 – January 16, 1898) was an American lawyer and politician. He served as a U.S. Representative from Ohio and Commissioner of Patents.
Butterworth was born near Maineville, Ohio, on October 22, 1837. Butterworth attended the common schools of Warren County, the academy in Maineville, and Ohio University in Athens, Ohio.
"His father was a Virginia planter, who, notwithstanding his property Interests, was so devoted to the cause of universal liberty that he freed his slaves and removed with his family to Ohio. In that state he became associated with Levi Coffin in the Underground Railroad and assisted fugitive slaves until the close of the war."
Butterworth studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1861 and commenced practice in Cincinnati, Ohio. He was appointed assistant United States district attorney in 1868, and served as member of the Ohio Senate in 1874 and 1875.
Butterworth was elected as a Republican candidate to the Forty-sixth and Forty-seventh Congresses (March 4, 1879 – March 3, 1883). He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1882 to the Forty-eighth Congress. He served as delegate to the Republican National Convention in 1880, and later served as regent of the Smithsonian Institution. He was appointed a commissioner of the Northern Pacific Railroad by President Arthur in 1883. He served as special Government counsel to prosecute the South Carolina election cases in 1883. Butterworth was elected to the Forty-ninth, Fiftieth, and Fifty-first Congresses (March 4, 1885 – March 3, 1891). He served as chairman of the Committee on Patents (Fifty-first Congress). He was not a candidate for renomination in 1890.