Butler Post Office renamed for ‘Civil War hero’
The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill Monday that would rename the U.S. Post Office at 345 S. Main St. in Butler the Andrew Gomer Williams Post Office Building.
The bill, which passed unanimously by voice vote, is supported by the entire Pennsylvania delegation in the House. It now heads to the Senate.
A Monday news release from U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly’s office said he led the effort to honor a “Civil War hero.”
"Andrew Gomer Williams lived a life of service to his community and country, and I am proud to cement his legacy in our nation’s history," Kelly said. "I would like to thank my colleagues for their support in honoring this heroic man. I also encourage everyone to read his life story. Mr. Williams was a remarkable man."
Williams enlisted in the Union Army in 1861 at age 21, assigned to help raise three companies of men in the newly created 63rd PA Volunteers. He soon was promoted to the rank of captain of the unit’s Company E. Williams led his company in more than a dozen battles, ultimately being wounded four times, including in 1863 when he was thought to have been killed in action.
After the war, Williams returned home to Pittsburgh to study law while working in the factories to support his family following his father’s death, and later served two years in the state House of Representatives and four years in the state Senate.
