Representative Josiah Butler

Josiah Butler (December 4, 1779 – October 27, 1854) was an American politician, lawyer, jurist, and United States Representative from New Hampshire. Born in Pelham, Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, he was the son of Nehemiah Butler and Lyndia (or Lydia) Wood Butler. He received his early education at the academies in Londonderry and Atkinson, New Hampshire, and was also instructed by private tutors, reflecting the classical preparatory training typical of New England professionals of his generation.

Butler pursued higher education at Harvard University, from which he graduated in 1803. After college he went south to teach school in Virginia, where he spent approximately three years in the field of education. While in Virginia he began the study of law, reading under the guidance of prominent legal mentors including Clifton Claggett of Amherst, New Hampshire, and Governor Cabell (often rendered “Cabot” in contemporary sources) of Virginia. He was admitted to the bar of Virginia in 1807, formally launching his legal career.

In 1807 Butler returned to his native Pelham, New Hampshire, where he commenced the practice of law. Two years later, in 1809, he moved to Deerfield in Rockingham County, which became his long-term residence and professional base. He quickly entered public service at the county level, serving as sheriff of Rockingham County from 1810 to 1813. Following his term as sheriff, he was appointed clerk of the court of common pleas, further solidifying his standing in the legal and civic life of the region. Butler first sought national office as an unsuccessful candidate for election to the Thirteenth Congress in 1812. He then turned to state politics, serving as a member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives from 1814 to 1816.

As a member of the Republican Party—then commonly known as the Democratic-Republican Party—representing New Hampshire, Butler contributed to the legislative process during three terms in the United States House of Representatives. Elected as a Democratic-Republican to the Fifteenth Congress and reelected to the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Congresses, he served from March 4, 1817, to March 3, 1823. His congressional service occurred during a significant period in American history, encompassing the so‑called “Era of Good Feelings,” when issues such as post‑War of 1812 economic policy, internal improvements, and westward expansion were prominent. In Congress he represented the interests of his New Hampshire constituents and participated actively in the democratic process. During the Seventeenth Congress he served as chairman of the Committee on Agriculture, a position that placed him at the center of legislative deliberations affecting the nation’s agrarian economy.

After leaving Congress in 1823, Butler returned to New Hampshire and resumed his legal and judicial pursuits. In 1825 he was appointed an associate justice of the New Hampshire Court of Common Pleas, a key trial court in the state’s judicial system. He held this judicial office for a decade, serving from 1825 to 1835, and contributed to the administration of justice in New Hampshire during a period of social and economic change in the early nineteenth century.

In his personal life, Butler married Hannah Jenness. Together they had ten children: DeWitt Clinton, Horace, Josiah W., Elizabeth H., Lydia J., Franklin I., Franklin Jenness, Wentworth S., Caroline L., and Mary J. The size of his family and the naming of one son after DeWitt Clinton, a prominent contemporary statesman, reflect both the familial and political culture of his era.

Josiah Butler spent his later years in Deerfield, New Hampshire, where he remained a respected figure in the community. He died in Deerfield on October 27, 1854, at the age of 74 years and 327 days. He was interred in Granite Cemetery in South Deerfield, Rockingham County, New Hampshire.