Thomas B. Butler
politician and judge from Connecticut (1806-1873)
Thomas Belden Butler (August 22, 1806 – June 8, 1873) was a Whig politician from Connecticut. He was Chief Justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court from 1870 to 1873. He was a member of the United States House of Representatives from Connecticut's 4th congressional district from 1849 to 1851. He had previously served as a member of the Connecticut Senate representing the 12th District from 1847 to 1848. In 1848, he was President pro tempore of the Connecticut Senate. He also had served as a member of the Connecticut House of Representatives from 1832 to 1834, from 1837 to 1838, from 1843 to 1844, and from 1846 to 1847.
Early life
Butler was born in Wethersfield, Connecticut, the son of Frederick Butler and Mary Belden. He attended the common schools. He was graduated from the medical department of Yale University in 1828 and commenced practice in Norwalk, Connecticut. Later, he studied law.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Thomas B. Butler” as politician and judge from Connecticut (1806-1873). Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the people & ideas register because the source frames it as politician and judge from Connecticut (1806-1873). Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
The entry’s evidential value lies in the named roles, institutions and publications that can be tested against primary documentation. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 4, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q1387257. VIAF identifies the subject as 73664503. The Library of Congress control number is no2008068846. 3 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1806, 1873, 1870 and 1849.
A concise life account rarely captures disputed attribution, private networks or the changing language used to describe a career. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Read biographical claims against dates, named institutions and the cited references. Distinguish a subject’s later reputation from evidence produced during their lifetime.
- Establishing names and roles
- Building a first chronology
- Locating cited institutions
Personal papers, civil or court records, institutional files and the scholarship cited by the source.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Thomas B. Butler”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Thomas B. Butler primary sources, Thomas B. Butler archive and Thomas research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Thomas B. Butler”?
- Which primary records establish identity, chronology and institutional ties?
- How has the subject’s reputation changed across later accounts?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Thomas B. Butler” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.