Clement Moore Butler

Clement Moore Butler (1810–1890) was an Episcopal priest, author, and seminary professor who served as Chaplain of the Senate from 1850 to 1853.

C. M. Butler, ca. 1862

Early years

Clement Moore Butler was born on October 16, 1810, in Troy, New York, the son of David Butler and Chloe Jones Butler.[1] He was graduated from Trinity College, Hartford, Connecticut, in 1833, and the General Theological Seminary, New York, in 1836.[2] Butler was ordained by Bishop Benjamin Treadwell Onderdonk in June 1837. Onderdonk is alleged to have made improper advances toward Mrs. Butler in a carriage the evening before the ordination. (She was one of a number of women who alleged sexual harassment by the bishop, leading to his suspension.[3])

Ministry

During the years 1837 through 1854, Butler served congregations in New York City, Palmyra, New York, Georgetown, Boston, Massachusetts, and Trinity Church, Washington, D.C.[4]

He served as chaplain of the United States Senate from 1849 till 1853.[5] On April 1, 1850, he delivered the funeral address for Senator John C. Calhoun.[6] On July 1, 1852, he delivered the funeral address for Henry Clay, Senator, Congressman, and Secretary of State.[7]

From 1854 to 1857, he was rector of Christ Church, Cincinnati, Ohio.[8] He then returned to Washington, where he served Trinity Church once more, through 1861. Butler was thereafter chaplain to the United States minister at Rome, Italy, and the second rector of Grace Church (now St. Paul’s Within the Walls) in Rome (1861–1864).[9]

Butler returned to the United States in 1864, and became professor of ecclesiastical history at the Divinity School of the Protestant Episcopal Church, Philadelphia. He served until 1884, when he retired due to ill health.[10]

Butler died on March 5, 1890, in Germantown, Pennsylvania.[1]

Personal life

In 1836 Butler married Frances Livingston Hart (1816–1895) in Washington, DC. They had three children: Frances Livingston Butler, Helen Moore Butler and Clement Moore Butler. Frances was a niece of Richard Channing Moore, Bishop of Virginia.[11]

Bibliography

References
  1. rootsweb.com
  2. Calendar of Trinity College, Hartford, Connecticut, 1847, p. 27
  3. Affect and Power: Essays on Sex, Slavery, Race, and Religion, by David J. Libby et al, p. 29
  4. Daughter of Boston: by Caroline Wells Healey Dall, Helen R. Deese, p. 380
  5. The Diocese of Western New York, History and Recollections, by Charles Wells Hayes
  6. Obituary Addresses Delivered on the Occasion of the Death of the Hon. John C. Calhoun, by Clement Moore Butler.
  7. Obituary addresses on the occasion of the death of the Hon. Henry Clay. Washington: printed by Robert Armstrong, 1852.
  8. The Salmon P. Chase Papers: Journals, 1829-1872, p. 263
  9. Rectors of St. Paul’s, see: "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2009-02-28. Retrieved 2010-01-22.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  10. Funeral Address on the Death of Abraham Lincoln, delivered in the Church of the Covenant, April 19, 1865.
  11. "James Livingston, and Some of His Descendants, by J. Wilson Poucher, Duchess County Historical Society Yearbook, Vol. 28, 1943, pp.72–3.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.