Fred M. Butler
American judge (1854–1932)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Fred M. Butler (May 28, 1854 – December 24, 1932) was a Vermont attorney and judge. He is notable for his service as an associate justice of the Vermont Supreme Court from 1923 to 1926.
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Fred M. Butler | |
|---|---|
From 1899's Book of Biographies of Rutland County, Vermont | |
| Associate Justice of the Vermont Supreme Court | |
| In office 1923–1926 | |
| Preceded by | Willard W. Miles |
| Succeeded by | Sherman R. Moulton |
| Chief Judge of the Vermont Superior Court | |
| In office 1921–1923 | |
| Preceded by | Zed S. Stanton |
| Succeeded by | George M. Powers |
| Judge of the Vermont Superior Court | |
| In office 1909–1923 | |
| Preceded by | George M. Powers |
| Succeeded by | Frank D. Thompson |
| Member of the Vermont Senate | |
| In office 1908–1909 | |
| Preceded by | Henry Otis Carpenter, Dan Demin Burditt, John Emory Buxton, William H. Rowland |
| Succeeded by | Henry B. Barden, Henry L. Clark, Samuel R. Hitchcock, Egbert Clayton Tuttle |
| Constituency | Rutland County |
| President of the Vermont Bar Association | |
| In office 1906–1907 | |
| Preceded by | H. Henry Powers |
| Succeeded by | Alexander Dunnett |
| Personal details | |
| Born | May 28, 1854 Jamaica, Vermont, U.S. |
| Died | December 24, 1932 (aged 78) Rutland, Vermont, U.S. |
| Resting place | Evergreen Cemetery, Rutland, Vermont, U.S. |
| Party | Republican |
| Spouse | Lillian Harriet Holton (m. |
| Children | 5 |
| Profession | Attorney |
Early life
Fred Mason Butler was born in Jamaica, Vermont on May 28, 1854, the son of Aaron Mason Butler (1815–1886) and Emeline (Muzzy) Butler (d. 1877).[1] He was educated in the public schools of Jamaica, and graduated from Leland and Gray Seminary in Townshend.[1]
Butler had started his legal studies in the Jamaica office of Jonathan G. Eddy while still at Leland & Gray.[1] After graduation, he continued studying law under his uncle in the same Jamaica office that included Hoyt Henry Wheeler and Eleazer L. Waterman.[1] He was admitted to the bar in 1877, after which he moved to Rutland.[1]
Start of career
Butler established a law practice in Rutland, first in partnership with Joel C. Baker, then with Lyman W. Redington, and finally with Thomas W. Moloney.[1] From 1906 to 1907, Butler was president of the Vermont Bar Association,[2] and he was succeeded by Alexander Dunnett.[3] He was also involved in several businesses; he was a member of the board of directors of the Baxter National Bank and Rutland Railway Light & Power Company,[1] and was an original incorporator of the State Mutual Fire Insurance Company.[4]
Active in politics and government as a Republican, Butler served as a delegate to numerous city, county, and state party conventions.[1] He also served in local office including grand juror (1882–84), city attorney (1884-89), and judge of the Rutland city court (1889–95).[1] In 1908 he was elected to the Vermont Senate.[5]
Butler was an active leader of the Baptist church.[6] He was a member of First Baptist Church in Rutland, and served as president of the state Baptist convention from 1909 to 1910.[6]
Judicial career
In 1908, the Vermont General Assembly enacted a law expanding the Vermont Supreme Court from four justices to five.[7] The appointment as an associate justice went to George M. Powers, who was serving as a judge of the Vermont Superior Court, and had been an associate justice prior to the passage of a previous law reducing the size of the state Supreme Court.[7] Butler was selected for the resulting vacancy on the Vermont Superior Court, and resigned from the State Senate in January 1909 in order to accept.[8][9] He continued to serve on this court until 1923.[10] From 1921 to 1923, Butler served as chief judge, having succeeded Zed S. Stanton.[10][11]
In 1923, associate justice Willard W. Miles retired from the state Supreme Court.[10] Butler was appointed to fill the vacancy, and he served until 1926, when he retired.[10][12] He was succeeded by Sherman R. Moulton.[13]
Retirement and death
Butler died in Rutland on December 24, 1932.[14][15] He was buried at Evergreen Cemetery in Rutland.[16]
Family
In 1875, Butler married Lillian Harriet Holton (1852-1935), a resident of Bangor, New York.[17][18] They were the parents of three daughters: Anza Lillian (1876-1933) was the wife of Wallace W. Nichols of Rutland;[19] Helen Maria (1885-1981), the wife of John A. Barney of Rutland;[20][21] and Florence Muzzy (1892-1973), the wife of Leon E. Ellsworth of Enosburg Falls and Roy S. Woodward of Waterville.[1][22][23] A son was born in 1879 and died in 1880.[24] Another son, Aaron Mason Butler, was born and died in 1891.[25]
Butler's siblings included Edgar M. Butler (1857-1928), who served as a member of the Vermont Senate.[26][27]