Grand Old Partisan honors Marion Butler, born near Raleigh, May 20th 1863. After graduating from University of North Carolina, he worked the family farm and taught school. Age twenty-five, he was elected president of his local Farmers' Alliance and in a few years president of the National Farmer's Alliance and Industrial Union.
In 1890, Butler won election, as a Democrat, to the state senate. Upset about re-nomination of Grover Cleveland, he left the Slavery Party for the Populists. He advocated that his new party ally itself with the Republicans, in order to loosen the Democrats' grip on power. His strategy succeeded, with the 'Fusionists' winning control of the legislature in 1894.
That year, legislators elected him to the U.S. Senate. A 'white supremacy' campaign by the Democrats cost him re-election. In 1904, Butler endorsed President Theodore Roosevelt and joined the GOP. Later years were devoted to practicing law in support of cotton and tobacco growers.
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Michael Zak is author of Back to Basics for the Republican Party, a history of GOP civil rights achievement.
Each day, Michael Zak's grandoldpartisan YouTube channel and Grand Old Partisan blog celebrate more than sixteen decades of Republican heroes and heroics. And, see Speech Raves for audience feedback from his presentations in thirty-one states.
He also wrote the 2005 Republican Freedom Calendar.
Clarence Thomas cited Back to Basics for the Republican Party in a Supreme Court decision.
See www.youtube.com/q?v=IzxKCiXc5Qc for a brief video of a Texas Republican praising Back to Basics for the Republican Party.
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