Francis E. Butler (January 30, 1847 (baptized)November 21, 1926) was an Irish American marksman who performed in

Wild West The American frontier, also known as the Old West or the Wild West, encompasses the geography, history, folklore, and culture associated with the forward wave of American expansion in mainland North America that began with European colonial ...

variety shows. He developed a shooting act with his performing partner John Graham, and when Graham fell ill the sharpshooter

Annie Oakley Annie Oakley (born Phoebe Ann Mosey; August 13, 1860 – November 3, 1926) was an American sharpshooter who starred in Buffalo Bill's Wild West show. Oakley developed hunting skills as a child to provide for her impoverished family in western ...

stood in for him. Butler and Oakley began to perform together and later married, and they joined the

Sells Brothers Circus Sells Brothers Circus was a circus founded by Ephraim, William, Lewis and Peter Sells in Columbus, Ohio, United States. History The circus, more formally known as the Sells Brothers' Quadruple Alliance, Museum, Menagerie, Caravan and Circus, ran ...

. They became famous as a sharpshooting duo during their time in '' Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show'' from 1885 to 1901. Butler also worked as a representative and salesman for gun manufacturers.

Early life

Frank Butler was born in County Longford, Ireland, and moved with his family to the United States at the age of 13. While Butler's birth date is listed on his and Oakley's U.S. passport application as February 25, 1852, the obituary for Butler posted by the Associated Press in 1926 has his age as 76, which meant he was born in 1850.''Dayton Daily News'' (November 24, 1926), page 7. Retrieved Oct. 1, 2014. According to baptism registers on file at the

National Library of Ireland The National Library of Ireland (NLI; ga, Leabharlann Náisiúnta na hÉireann) is the Republic of Ireland's national library located in Dublin, in a building designed by Thomas Newenham Deane. The mission of the National Library of Ireland i ...

, Butler was baptized on January 30, 1847.RootsIreland.ie, National Library of Ireland - Church Baptism Record for Francis Butler
Retrieved Apr. 5, 2017.National Library of Ireland - Ardagh and Clonmacnoise Diocese, Templemichael and Ballymacormack Parish, Baptisms from March 1, 1829 to June 11, 1862, page 134
Retrieved Apr. 5, 2017. His parents were Michael Butler and Catherine Whelan.Ancestry.com, 1860 U.S. Federal Census
Retrieved Oct. 8, 2014.Ancestry.com, Illinois Deaths and Stillbirths Index, 1916-1947 (William J. Butler, brother of Frank E. Butler)
Retrieved Oct. 8, 2014. He was the oldest of their five children.Ancestry.com, 1870 U.S. Federal Census
Retrieved Oct. 8, 2014. He initially worked a series of odd jobs, including one as a glass blower, while living near Camden, New Jersey. Butler married Henrietta Saunders around 1870; they had two children, Edward and Katie.Shirl Kasper, ''Annie Oakley: The Peerless Wing and Rifle Shot'', page 236
Retrieved Oct. 9, 2014. The two divorced a few years later. Sources mentioning Butler's first wife as Elizabeth are inaccurate. Elizabeth is actually his granddaughter, and her father was Edward F. Butler.Ancestry.com, 1900 U.S. Federal Census
Retrieved Oct. 7, 2014.

Annie Oakley and the Wild West Show

Frank Butler eventually developed a shooting act and toured with variety shows. After meeting at a shooting competition in Cincinnati, Ohio, Butler married

on August 23, 1876, although he would later claim the date was June 20, 1882. They developed their shooting act in 1882 when Oakley stood in for Butler's sick partner, John Graham."Frank Butler
pbs.org, accessed July 14, 2009 In 1884, the Butlers joined the Sells Brothers Circus. From 1885 to 1901, they were a fixture on ''Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show''. As Oakley became the star attraction, Butler became her manager and wrote articles and press releases. One of Butler's roles was to throw glass balls in the air for Annie Oakley to shoot, including in an 1894 Edison film of Oakley. Oakley said that the financial part was always in her husband's hands. Oakley returned to performing between 1911 and 1913, this time with Vernon Seaver's Young Buffalo Show, with Butler again as her manager. Butler also worked as a representative of the Union Metallic Cartridge Company and as a salesman for the Remington Arms Company.

Retirement

After they retired, Frank Butler and Annie Oakley Butler had brief residencies in New York City,

East Orange East Orange is a city in Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 69,612. The city was the state's 20th most-populous municipality in 2010, after having been the state's 14th most-po ...

, and Nutley, New Jersey as well as

Cambridge, Maryland Cambridge is a city in Dorchester County, Maryland, United States. The population was 13,096 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Dorchester County and the county's largest municipality. Cambridge is the fourth most populous city in Mary ...

, and Pinehurst, North Carolina, and then returned to Ohio.Ancestry.com, 1910 U.S. Federal Census
Retrieved Oct. 9, 2014. Their house in Cambridge is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

Death

Annie died on November 3, 1926, in

Greenville, Ohio Greenville is a city in and the county seat of Darke County, Ohio, United States, located near the western edge of Ohio about 33 miles northwest of Dayton. The population was 13,227 at the 2010 census. History Historic Native American tribes in ...

. One biographer reported that Butler stopped eating after his wife's death, leading to his own death from malnutrition and starvation 18 days later, on November 21. According to another biographical source, the death certificate listed the cause of his death as

senility Dementia is a disorder which manifests as a set of related symptoms, which usually surfaces when the brain is damaged by injury or disease. The symptoms involve progressive impairments in memory, thinking, and behavior, which negatively affec ...

. Butler was living with Hulda Haines, Oakley's younger sister, in Ferndale, Michigan at the time of his death.

In popular culture

The musical '' Annie Get Your Gun'' is based loosely on the lives of Annie Oakley and Frank Butler. Ray Middleton originated the role of Frank in the musical with

Ethel Merman Ethel Merman (born Ethel Agnes Zimmermann, January 16, 1908 – February 15, 1984) was an American actress and singer, known for her distinctive, powerful voice, and for leading roles in musical theatre.Obituary '' Variety'', February 22, 1984. ...

as Annie.

Howard Keel Harold Clifford Keel (April 13, 1919November 7, 2004), known professionally as Howard Keel, was an American actor and singer, known for his rich bass-baritone singing voice. He starred in a number of MGM musicals in the 1950s and in the CBS te ...

starred in the film version with Betty Hutton.

Bruce Yarnell Bruce Patane Altomari Yarnell (December 28, 1935 – November 30, 1973) was an American film, television, theatre actor and singer. He was known for playing the role of Deputy Marshal Chalk Breeson in the final season of the American western te ...

played Butler in a 1966

Lincoln Center Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (also simply known as Lincoln Center) is a complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It has thirty indoor and outdoor facilities and is host to 5 milli ...

revival, with

again as Annie Oakley.

Tom Wopat Thomas Steven Wopat (born September 9, 1951) is an American actor and singer. He first achieved fame as Lucas K. "Luke" Duke on the long-running television action/comedy series ''The Dukes of Hazzard''. Since then, Wopat has worked regularly, ...

played the role of Butler in the 1999 Broadway revival. In 1957, a television production starring

Mary Martin Mary Virginia Martin (December 1, 1913 – November 3, 1990) was an American actress and singer. A muse of Rodgers and Hammerstein, she originated many leading roles on stage over her career, including Nellie Forbush in '' South Pacific'' (194 ...

and

John Raitt John Emmet Raitt (; January 29, 1917 – February 20, 2005) was an American actor and singer best known for his performances in musical theatre. Early years Raitt was born in Santa Ana, California, United States. He got his start in theatre as ...

was broadcast on NBC. John Considine portrayed Butler in '' Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull's History Lesson'' (1976). In ''

'' (1935) he is replaced by Toby Walker (

Preston Foster Preston Stratton Foster (August 24, 1900 – July 14, 1970), was an American actor of stage, film, radio, and television, whose career spanned nearly four decades. He also had a career as a vocalist. Early life Born in Ocean City, New Jersey ...

References

*Riley, Glenda. ''The Life and Legacy of Annie Oakley'' (2002), University of Oklahoma Press, *Shooting Star Annie Oakley
Frank E. Butler: Credits
Retrieved, Oct. 1, 2014. *''Dayton Daily News'' (November 24, 1926), page 7. Retrieved Oct. 1, 2014. *Ancestry.com, 1870 United States Federal Census
Frank E. Butler: Credits
Retrieved Oct. 7, 2014.

Notes

External links

*
Records for Butler and Oakley at familysearch.org

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Butler 1847 births 1926 deaths Gunslingers of the American Old West Sharpshooters Wild West show performers Suicides by starvation Irish emigrants to the United States (before 1923) People from County Longford Suicides in Michigan 1926 suicides