Richard Butler | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | (1834-11-11)11 November 1834 Coteau du Lac,Lower Canada |
| Died | 16 March 1925(1925-03-16) (aged 90) |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Occupation | Publisher |
Richard Butler (born 11 November 1834 at Coteau du Lac,Lower Canada - 16 March 1925) was aneditor,publisher,journalist and U.S.vice-consul inHamilton, Ontario.[1]
His parents had been born inIreland and arrived in Canada a few months before his birth. He worked from childhood, so he had little formal education. He worked first as a confectioner and baker inMontreal, and secured a job with theMontreal Herald when he was twelve years old. This enabled him to help his mother raise Butler and his three siblings, after his father had died suddenly when serving in the British 24th Foot Regiment stationed in Canada.
His experience working for newspapers continued after the family moved toLondon, Ontario, where he found work for theLondon Free Press. He also gained experience in Hamilton working at theJournal and Express office. Butler moved to theUnited States in 1852 at the age of seventeen, working inRochester, New York for theRochester Union. In 1854 he returned to Hamilton, where he helped establish a union for printers. By 1859 he had worked his way up to an assistant foreman at theChristian Advocate.
He returned to the United States in time to be listed in the 1860 census as a resident ofCincinnati, Ohio, where he worked as a printer.
In 1862, he became editor of theOxford Citizen, a newspaper inOxford, Ohio, which he sold in 1870. He also operated a printing business there. During his Oxford years, Butler was active in a fraternaltemperance society called the Good Templars and spent a few months in theUnion Army. In 1915 he published a short history of early Oxford calledAncient Oxford. First appearing in a newspaper, it was later published as a short book.
In 1870, Butler bought a newspaper inOberlin, Ohio which proved to be a mistake. Oberlin College wanted a religious paper[clarification needed]. After two years Butler sold the newspaper, and shortly afterwards became city editor of theBurlington Hawkeye inBurlington, Iowa. Eventually he moved toIllinois, where he bought theClinton Public and was its editor and publisher for twenty-five years.
In 1897, after selling thePublic, he returned to Canada once again where (as an ardentRepublican) he was appointed to the position of U.S. vice-consul in the Ontario city ofHamilton, a position he held for eighteen years. At the same time was employed by the town's newspaper, theHamilton Spectator, and wrote a column on the history of Hamilton for the Saturday edition of the paper, titled "Saturday Musings". The column appeared under the pen name of The Muser.
The Butler neighbourhood inHamilton Mountain is named after him. It is bounded by Stone Church Road East (north),Rymal Road East (south),Upper Wentworth Street (west) andUpper Sherman Street (east). Landmarks in this neighbourhood include St. Jean de Brebeuf High School and Billy Sherring Park.
History of DeWitt County, Illinois (1882), available on the Internet