Edward Mann Butler (July 13, 1784 – November 1, 1855) was one of

Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

's most prominent early educators. He is best remembered as being the first president of what would become the

University of Louisville The University of Louisville (UofL) is a public university, public research university in Louisville, Kentucky, United States. It is part of the Kentucky state university system. Chartered in 1798 as the Jefferson Seminary, it became in the 19t ...

and heading the first public school in Kentucky. Butler was born in

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

. After graduating from St Mary's College, Butler practiced law and served as a school teacher in various locations, including Maysville, Lexington,

Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; ) is a former royal residence commissioned by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, Yvelines, Versailles, about west of Paris, in the Yvelines, Yvelines Department of Île-de-France, Île-de-France region in Franc ...

and

Louisville Louisville is the most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeast, and the 27th-most-populous city in the United States. By land area, it is the country's 24th-largest city; however, by populatio ...

. He was the president of the Jefferson Seminary (which later became the University of Louisville) from 1813 to 1816. In 1822 he became the head of the grammar department at Lexington's

Transylvania University Transylvania University is a private university in Lexington, Kentucky, United States. It was founded in 1780 and is the oldest university in Kentucky. It offers 46 major programs, as well as dual-degree engineering programs, and is Higher educ ...

, and then returned to head the Jefferson Seminary in 1829. Butler was a trustee at

Washington University Washington University in St. Louis (WashU) is a private research university in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Founded in 1853 by a group of civic leaders and named for George Washington, the university spans 355 acres across its Danforth ...

. He is also considered Kentucky's first reliable

historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human species; as well as the ...

, with his first complete work being released in 1834. At the time of his death, he was working on a detailed history of the

Ohio River The Ohio River () is a river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing in a southwesterly direction from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to its river mouth, mouth on the Mississippi Riv ...

Valley. He was killed on November 1, 1855, in a

St. Louis St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a populatio ...

train wreck.

References

External links

Guide to the Reuben T. Durrett Collection of Man Butler Papers 1816-1874
at th
University of Chicago Special Collections Research Center
{{DEFAULTSORT:Butler, Edward Mann 1784 births 1855 deaths St. Mary's Seminary and University alumni History of Louisville, Kentucky Educators from Louisville, Kentucky University of Louisville people Railway accident deaths in the United States Educators from Baltimore Presidents of the University of Louisville Historians from Maryland Washington University in St. Louis trustees