Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1921-09-21

Colonel Butt was distinctly Ameri-
can So were his ancestors, both lin
/ cal and collateral, for generations
The ancestors of both of his parents,
Edward and Hannah (Roberts) Butt
came to America with William Penn.
| His father was by occupation black
smith and a farmer and was also for
tame a preacher. He served during
the war of 1912 as a private. His wife
the mother of our subject, was a de-
scendant of Captain Samuel Roberts
( of hte Pennsylvania contingent and
of Revolutionary fame. Edward Butt
disposed of his property in Ohio and
moved to Iowa in 1857.
| G. M. Butt was born September so,
! 1888, in the town of Deerfield Morgan
county, Ohio. He obtained his edu-
cation in the district schools of his
native place, following which he took
the scientific course at the Wesleyan
university of Delaware, Ohio being
a classmate of Bishop McCabe. Be
ginning the study of law with the
well-known firm of Evans & Wood,
at McConnellsville, Ohio, he followed
with a course in Wisconsin and after
this thorough preparation was admit
ted to the bar at Viroqua in June
1859. He moved to this city the year
preceding and has never changed his
residence up to the present time.
His life long interest IN education
probably dated from the time that
he came in contact with the principles
of education advanced by Horace
Mann. He was one of the earliest
| teachers in Vernon county, teaching
in the first school building, a frame
ructure erected across the street
from the Warren Dunlap house. This
was in the day Of early rivalries be-
tween local Buckeye and Yankee So
cial life.
Having opened an Office in Viroqua,
he formed partnership with H. H.
Natwick, which was continued from
1874 to 1876, when he formed a con-
nection with C. w. Graves, which con-
tinEed until 1894, after which time he
practiced with his son.
His professional experience has
been extensive and of an interesting
character, for there have been few
cases of Importance in Vernon coun-
| ty in which he has net taken as ac-
tive part. He has probably tried
more men for murder than any other
lawyer in the state, upon one occa-
sion during the war trying twenty
three men at the same time for that
crime, of which number seventeen
were convicted. At another time he
tried ten for the murder and rcttery
of an old man, all being convicted and
hanged. AS regards other criminal
cases, robbery, forgery and crimes
| of a like description, the list would
be enormous. The success which has
met his efforts has been most graf
flying.
His career as a soldier has been
such as to entitle him to an import
ant place in the military history of
the state.
| At the opening of the war he was
one of a group which had much to
do in crystalizing the sentiment and
patriotic war spirit of Vernon county
and was a member Of the committee
which drew up the resolutions for the
people of Vernon county (then known
as Badax county,
This first war meeting of the coun-
ty he always considered as the most
remarkable he had ever attended. 1t
united the different factions and pre-
JUDGES of the new community. 1t
also expressed the highest ideals of
patriotism and of instant response
to the call of the state and nation
| From that time the zeal and spirit
exhibited in that meeting led to the
political leadership that Vernon coun-
ty has held for so many years in the
state.
! He was the first volunteer from this
county and is the last member of the
company of 12S men who left Viroqua
with him as leader for Lacrosse in 81.
Entering the service in 1862, he re-
ceived his commission as first lieu
tenant and two years later became
captain of company A, twenty-fifth
| Wisconsin volunteers. Subsequently
he was promoted to major and lieu
tenant colonel of the forty-eighth
Wisconsin, in which he served until
February 9Th, 1866. During his mil
itary experience he accompanied his
regiment in 1862 through the Sioux
campaign in Minnesota, afterwards
with General Grant at Vicksburg and
later with Sherman in the Meridian
campaign. He took part in the At
lanta campaign, then on to Savannah
and afterwards to Goldsboro, North
Carolina. For seven months he serv-
ed as ordinance officer of the first
division, seventeenth army corps, on
the staff of Major General Mower.
He was promoted to major in the
forty-eighth Wisconsin infantry in
1865. Joined it at Fort Scott, Kansas,
and served on the Missouri frontier
until September, 1865. Then went
on western frontier and served against
the Comanche, Arapahoe and Kiowa
Indians until the LIST of February,
1866. when he returned to this state
and was mustered out February 20,
1866.
Previous TO the war he was honor
ed by his feiiow-citizens by his Sc
lection as district attorney, and when
the sword was laid aside, he was
elected TO the Office Of county treas
urer of Vernon county, holding the
same for four years. In 1868 he was
elected state senator on the republic
can ticket by majority Of 2,573. For
four years, from 1870, he again held
his former Office of district attorney,
was mayor for one term, and for ~
years had place on the board Of
education. From 1877 to 1889 he
held the position Of county judge. For
q years he was trustee Of the Vernon
County Asylum for the insane.
The political opinions Of this law.
yer-soldier has been strongly repub-
lican until 1884, when be Joined the
populists. He was an advocate Of
the election Of Grover Cleveland dur