Justin Butterfield
| Justin Butterfield | |
|---|---|
 |
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| 12th Commissioner of the General Land Office | |
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In office June 21, 1849 – September 15, 1852 |
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| President | Zachary Taylor |
| Preceded by | Richard M. Young |
| Succeeded by | John Wilson |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1790 Keene, New Hampshire |
| Died | October 23, 1855 (aged 64–65) Chicago, Illinois |
| Resting place | Graceland Cemetery |
| Political party | Whig |
| Spouse(s) | Elizabeth Pearce |
| Children | eight |
| Alma mater | Williams College |
| Occupation | lawyer |
| Signature |  |
Justin Butterfield (1790 – October 23, 1855) served in 1849–1852 as commissioner of the General Land Office of the United States. Appointed to this position in 1849 by the incoming Zachary Taylor administration, he is best known for having faced down, and defeated, another Whig candidate for the same job, Abraham Lincoln. In the General Land Office, he was one of the leading adopters of the railroad land grant system for financing the construction of long-distance railroad infrastructure throughout the United States. He was also one of the foremost Gentile defenders of the rights of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in Illinois during the final period of Joseph Smith's leadership at Nauvoo.
Justin Butterfield was born in Keene, New Hampshire in 1790. He entered Williams College at age seventeen; a work-study student, he simultaneously studied college-level courses and served as a schoolteacher, as was allowed by the laws of that day. Upon completion of his studies he removed to Watertown, New York, where he read law in the office of Egbert Ten Eyck. At age 22 he was admitted to the bar, and practiced in Adams, New York; New Orleans; and Watertown. He also married Elizabeth Butterfield née Pearce (1795-1863) of Schoharie, New York, and the couple had eight children. As a New York State attorney, Butterfield was a strong defender of civil liberties, acting for two defendants sued in separate cases of libel. Butterfield argued both cases before juries with separate defenses of the principle of freedom of speech. In 1835 the now middle-aged lawyer visited and established a practice with James H. Collins in the fast-growing frontier village of Chicago, and by 1837 he completed his casework in upstate New York.
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