Butler County History

Butler County [582 square miles] was named in honor of General William Orlando Butler (1791-1880), a Kentucky statesman, officer in the Mexican War, and unsuccessful Democratic candidate for Vice President in 1848.

Before the county was officially organized, it was attached to other counties. But by 1853, enough settlers had located in Butler County to warrant setting up the county's own governing body, and an election was held in August. Although a full staff of county officials was elected, the offices were not considered sufficiently lucrative to warrant a trip to Independence to be sworn in, so the elected officers failed to qualify