Robert R. Butler

Robert Reyburn “R. R.” Butler

|  |

Former U.S. Representative from Oregon's 2nd Congressional District
From: November 6, 1928 – January 7, 1933
Predecessor | Nicholas J. Sinnott
Successor | Walter M. Pierce
Former State Senator from Oregon
From: 1925–1929
Predecessor | ???
Successor | ???
Former State Senator from Oregon
From: 1913–1917
Predecessor | ???
Successor | ???
Former Circuit Judge from the 11th Judicial District of Oregon
From: February 1909 – January 1911
Predecessor | ???
Successor | ???
Former Mayor of Condon, Oregon
From: ???–???
Predecessor | ???
Successor | ???
Information

Party  | Republican

Robert Reyburn Butler (September 24, 1881 – January 7, 1933), also known as R. R. Butler,[1] was a lawyer[2] and Republican originally from Tennessee who represented Oregon's 2nd congressional district from 1928 to 1933. He was previously a circuit court judge and a state senator.

## Contents

* 1 Background
* 2 Political career
* 2.1 U.S. House of Representatives
* 3 Death and interment
* 4 References
* 5 External links

## Background[edit]

Butler was born in eastern Tennessee to William R. Butler, a physician,[3] and the former Rebecca Caroline Grayson. His paternal grandfather was Roderick R. Butler, a colonel for the Union Army during the American Civil War who later became a U.S. representative from Tennessee's 1st congressional district during and after Reconstruction. The town he was born in had been renamed in Roderick R. Butler's honor.

Rebecca C. Grayson, Butler's mother, also came from a distinguished family, as his maternal grandfather J. W. Grayson had been colonel in the Union Army who held a command during the war.[3]

After attending public schools, Butler enrolled in Holly Springs College, and later graduated from Cumberland University in 1903. Following admission to the state bar, he commenced practice as a lawyer in Mountain City, Tennessee. Over time, he garnered a reputation as an expert lawyer.[3]

Following three years of practice in Mountain City, Butler moved to Oregon.[3] He became known as a top lawyer at the region he presided in, which would quickly propel his political career.

## Political career[edit]

Butler moved to Condon, Oregon, and was the mayor of the city for an unspecified period of time. After moving to The Dalles (located in Wasco County), Butler was elected in 1912 as a Republican to the Oregon State Senate, where he served from 1913 to 1917.[3]

He was also appointed to become a judge for a state circuit court; according to a biography:[3]

“  |  For two years he served as judge of the circuit court, bringing to the duties and responsibilities of that public trust a clear legal vision and an upright method of handling the business of his court.  |  ”

|
|

—History of Oregon Illustrated, Vol. 3

### U.S. House of Representatives[edit]

In the 1928 U.S. House elections, Butler sought the seat from Oregon's 2nd congressional district, located the majority of the state on the eastern side. He won the Republican nomination in a slate of seven candidates, polling a plurality of 35% of the vote.[4] In the general election, he faced former progressive Democrat governor and Ku Klux Klan ally Walter Pierce, and won the race by a margin of thirteen percentage points.[5]

Due to the resignation of congressman Nicholas J. Sinnott to serve in the Coolidge Administration, there was meant to be a simultaneous special election held on the same date as the 1928 general election to fill the remainder of Sinnott's term prior to the new congressional session. However, there was no separate "special election," as the two races were essentially merged.[6]

Butler easily won re-election to a second House term in the 1930 midterms, defeating Democrat Robert E. Bradford by a landslide.[7] However, he faced defeat in 1932 amidst backlash against Republicans over the Great Depression, and lost to former opponent Pierce by eight points.[8]

## Death and interment[edit]

After reportedly suffering an ailment in both lungs and being in a coma state,[9] Butler died of heart disease and pneumonia on January 7, 1933.[2] He is interred at Odd Fellows Cemetery, located in The Dalles, Oregon.[2] Butler's grave contains the following inscription:

ROBERT REYBURN BUTLER
MEMBER OF CONGRESS
1881 - 1933
HE WAS A MAN, TAKE HIM FOR
ALL IN ALL,
I SHALL NOT LOOK UPON HIS
LIKE AGAIN.
Shakespeare

## References[edit]

1. ↑ January 8, 1933. R.R. BUTLER DEAD; CONGRESS MEMBER; Representative From Oregon, a Democrat, Had Served in Washington Since 1928. WAS BAR LEADER IN WEST Circuit Judge in Oregon for Two Years -- First Elected to State Senate in 1912. The New York Times. Retrieved December 3, 2021.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Butler, O to R. The Political Graveyard. Retrieved December 3, 2021.
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Carney, Charles H. (1922). Biography of Judge Robert R. Butler. History of Oregon Published via Online Biographies via Internet Archive. Retrieved December 3, 2021.
4. ↑ OR District 2 - R Primary Race - May 18, 1928. Our Campaigns. Retrieved December 3, 2021.
5. ↑ OR - District 02 Race - Nov 06, 1928. Our Campaigns. Retrieved December 3, 2021.
6. ↑ OR - District 02 Special Election Race - Nov 06, 1928. Our Campaigns. Retrieved December 3, 2021.
7. ↑ OR - District 02 Race - Nov 04, 1930. Our Campaigns. Retrieved December 3, 2021.
8. ↑ OR - District 02 Race - Nov 08, 1932. Our Campaigns. Retrieved December 3, 2021.
9. ↑ December 22, 1932. ROBERT R. BUTLER WORSE.; Oregon Representative's Both Lungs Now Affected -- He Is in Coma. The New York Times. Retrieved December 3, 2021.

## External links[edit]

* Profile at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
* Profile at Find a Grave