The bulk of the collection consists of records pertaining to the First Congregational Church of Bay City, Michigan collected by Ira Butterfield and his father, George Butterfield, over a period of more than 80 years. The rest of the collection consists of the personal papers of Ira Butterfield. These papers relate to his experiences in World War II, his legal career, charitable and personal interests. The majority of these personal papers relate to his various campaigns for public office. The collection is divided into six series: First Congregational Church, Bay City, MI; Military Service; Bay County Council on Delinquency; Campaigns; Archaeology and Photographs. Although the collection contains some records dating from before 1944, the majority date from 1944 to 1990. Some earlier materials may be found in the First Congregational Church of Bay City collection, also held by the Bentley Library.
Ira W. Butterfield was born in Bay City, Michigan on January 30, 1915, the son of George E. Butterfield, a Bay City educator, and Esther Butterfield. He was the valedictorian of Bay City High School's graduating class of 1933. After attending Bay City Junior College, he transferred over to the University of Michigan in 1935. Working on a combined course program in the College of Literature, Science and the Arts and the Law School, Butterfield received his B.A. in 1937 and his law degree in 1940.
Returning to Bay City after his graduation, he served as an assistant to the City Attorney and then in 1942 left to serve as a Law Clerk to the Michigan Supreme Court. In 1944 he was inducted into the infantry and commissioned in 1945. On July 5, 1945 he married the former Eleanor Meyers, and they eventually had two children, Miriam and Robert. He continued his career in the Army by serving in the Judge Advocate General's Department in 1946 while stationed in the Philippines. After the war he returned once again to Bay City and entered private practice.
Ira Butterfield was very active in politics. In 1956 he was elected County Prosecuting Attorney for Bay County, a position which he held for two years, from 1957 to 1958. After an unsuccessful bid for reelection he once again returned to private practice. In 1968 Butterfield was elected to the newly created position of District Judge in the 74th District Court. He served from January 1, 1969 until 1978 when he resigned to accept Governor Milliken's appointment as circuit court judge for the 18th Judicial Circuit. He served here until his term expired January 1, 1981.
Throughout his career Butterfield was active in a variety of professional organizations, including the following: Bay County Bar Association (Treasurer 1943, Vice President 1953, President 1954), and as a member of the State Bar of Michigan, the American Judicature Society, and the American Bar Association. Ira Butterfield also served his community in a variety of volunteer organizational activities, including: the Bay County Council on Juvenile Delinquency (President 1947-49); Bay County Historical Society (President and Treasurer); Michigan Archaeological Society (State President 1956-57); and Gubernatorial Recount Board, Bay County (1950 and 1952).
Ira Butterfield was very interested in the First Congregational Church of Bay City. Along with his father, George Butterfield, Ira Butterfield served the church in various capacities, as moderator, clerk, Sunday school superintendent, chairman of the trustees, and chairman of the deacons.
Of considerable interest to Butterfield while he was associated with the church was the rift that developed in the 1950s between the minister and members of the congregation. The Reverend Thomas Vernon became minister of the church in 1947, and by the early 1950s disagreement had developed between him and one section of the congregation (which included the Butterfield family) over his theology. This group felt that the minister was forcing out longtime members who disagreed with his views, and "packing" the membership with his own supporters. The minister, in return, charged that the dissenters were traditionalists who were intolerant of any beliefs other than their own.
The controversy escalated throughout the 1950s. The dissenting group accused the minister and his supporters of altering records and manipulating the church constitution, church membership, and church organizations in order to move the church away from congregationalism. The minister charged that the dissenting group represented a minority which would use any means to get rid of him because of his liberal views, and insisted that his actions were true to the spirit of congregationalism. The move on the national level during the late 1950s to merge the Congregational and Evangelical and Reformed denominations into the United Church of Christ added further complexity to the situation, with the minister siding with those who wanted to remain more strictly congregational.
Despite the protests, in 1957 the congregation voted to retain Rev. Vernon as minister. Eventually, the dissenting group ceased to participate in church activities, organized itself into the Christian Congregational Association, hired a lawyer, and moved to call an Ecclesiastical Council of the Central Association of Congregational Christian Churches of Michigan. They petitioned to have the church declared extinct as a congregational church, and if successful, their goal was to proceed to civil courts to have the corporation dissolved and to regain control of the church property.
The Ecclesiastical Council was held on November 13, 1957, and in December it denied the petition to declare the church extinct. The report of the Ecclesiastical Council concluded that each side had some basis for its charges, and sharply criticized the behavior of both parties. The Council recommended that Rev. Vernon resign within one year, and in 1959, Rev. Vernon and some former members of the First Congregational Church founded the First Unitarian Church of Bay City.
After the controversy, the Butterfield family again became active in church affairs, attempting to reverse a steady decline in membership. By 1985 the First Congregational Church was sharing a minister with the First United Church of Christ of Bay City and consideration was being given to a merger of the two churches. The First Congregational Church decided against this option, however, and continued to operate separately.
Ira Butterfield died in 1995.
