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Higher Office(s) Served: Representative

Military Service: National Guard

War(s) Served:  Revolutionary War

EZRA BUTLER was born in Lancaster, Massachusetts. After settling in Waterbury, Vermont, he studied law and became Town Clerk. He served a number of terms in the State House of Representatives, was a member of the Executive Council for fifteen years, was the first Judge of the Chittenden County Court, on which he served for a time as Chief Justice, and was elected to the U.S. Congress. He was also a trustee of the University of Vermont from 1810 to 1816. His gubernatorial administration was marked by the abolition of lotteries and the passage of legislation requiring the examination of teachers. After leaving office, Butler became active in the Anti-Masonic movement that was an issue of significant concern in Vermont in the 1820s and '30s.

SOURCES:

Sobel, Robert, and John Raimo, eds. Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States, 1789-1978, Vol. 4. Westport, CT: Meckler Books, 1978. 4 vols.

The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography, Vol. 8. New York: James T. White & Company.

Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress

List of Vermont Governors

Vermont Primary and General Election Results

Gubernatorial Inaugural and Farewell Addresses

Gubernatorial Vetoes