death_date children signature birth_date term_end restingplace alma_mater death_place term_start spouse image name occupation predecessor birth_place president party office successor article_title
october 23 , 1855 -lrb- age 64-65 -rrb- eight justin butterfield signature.jpg 1790 september 15 , 1852 graceland cemetery williams college chicago june 21 , 1849 elizabeth pearce justin butterfield photo.jpg justin butterfield lawyer richard m. young keene , new hampshire zachary taylor whig 12th commissioner of the general land office john wilson justin butterfield

justin butterfield

attorney justin butterfield -lrb- 1790 in keene , new hampshire -- october 23 , 1855 in chicago , illinois -rrb- 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 .
