John Butler
1717 -
10 December 1802

Family

John Butler was the son of James Butler of Hamburg, at which place he was born. His first wife kept a school at Westminster; his second was the heiress of the Vernon estate of Farnham, Surrey. This second marriage raised his social standing, but neither marriage produced any children.

Education

Butler matriculated at University College, Oxford, in 1733. He graduated B.C.L. in 1746 and D.C.L. in 1752.

Church Appointments and Service

Butler was a popular preacher in London and, by 1754, was chaplain to the Princess Dowager of Wales. By 1758 he was minister of Great Yarmouth. In the early 1760s he was appointed chaplain to Dr. Hayter, Bishop of London, after which he was given the living of Everley, Wiltshire. Upon his appointment as king's chaplain, in 1769, he was made Archdeacon of Surrey. In May 1777 Butler was elevated to the See of Oxford. In 1788 he was translated to the bishopric of Hereford.

Noteworthy Publications

In 1762 Butler published a popular political pamphlet, An Answer to the Cocoa Tree, by a Whig, which "bitterly attacked Bute and the conduct of the ministry since the accession of George III." Afterwards, Butler adopted strong Tory principles, and during the war with America, he issued a number of political pamphlets under the pseudonymn "Vindex," in which "he strongly supports the policy of Lord North."

Footnote

In his ecclesiastical appointments, "he reaped the reward of his [political] services." -- DNB 3: 519