Joseph Dutton

  1. Home
  2. Wiki
For the British parasitologist, see Joseph Everett Dutton.

Servant of God
Joseph Dutton
Joseph Dutton in 1922
BornIra Barnes Dutton
(1843-04-27)April 27, 1843
Stowe, Vermont, U.S.
DiedMarch 26, 1931(1931-03-26) (aged 87)
Honolulu, Hawaiʻi Territory
EducationMilton Academy
Military career
AllegianceUnited States (Union)
Service / branchUnion Army
Years of service1861–1865
RankFirst lieutenant
Unit13th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment
Battles / wars

Joseph Dutton (April 27, 1843 – March 26, 1931) was an American Civil War veteran and Union Army lieutenant, who converted to Catholicism and later worked as a missionary with Father Damien. He was a member of the Third Order of Saint Francis.

Biography

[edit]
Dutton in 1928

He was born Ira Barnes Dutton in Stowe, Vermont, and was the son of Ezra Dutton and Abigail Barnes.[1]

Dutton carried out his studies at Old Academy and Milton Academy in Wisconsin. He had been raised Protestant in Baptist Sunday schools.[2] In 1861, Dutton enlisted in 13th Wisconsin Infantry under Colonel Maurice Maloney.[1] He served in the Quartermaster Corps of the 13th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment during the American Civil War.[3] Dutton began in the Union Army as a private and left as a first lieutenant and the regimental quartermaster.[4][5] He married during the Civil War. Prior to his marriage, Dutton was warned about his future wife's reputation for promiscuity, but had hoped he could change her.[6] The marriage did not last as his wife (who he never mentioned by name)[7] was unfaithful and Dutton developed alcoholism. His wife was an oniomaniac who left him broke and ran off with another man.[6]

After the Civil War, Dutton oversaw a distillery in Alabama and later worked on the railroads in Memphis, Tennessee. He quit drinking in 1876 and later took the name Joseph. He seemed to believe his wife would return, and did not sign the divorce papers until 1881.[6]

He converted to Catholicism in 1883 and afterward spent 20 months at the Trappist monastery at the Abbey of Our Lady of Gethsemani. In 1886 Dutton went to Molokai to aid the dying Father Damien, who was grateful for his assistance. Dutton remembered that he told Father Damien "My name is Joseph Dutton; I’ve come to help, and I’ve come to stay" upon meeting him—and he did stay, for the remainder of his life.[8] After Father Damien's death Dutton founded the Baldwin Home for men and boys with financial assistance from Henry Perrine Baldwin.[6]

Dutton was a member of the Secular Franciscan Order.[9] He was often known as "Brother Joseph."[7]

Dutton wrote the article "Molokai" for the Catholic Encyclopedia,[10] and composed and sent many letters detailing life on the island, and U. S. President Theodore Roosevelt was one of those who read of his service to the ailing. He was so impressed by the veteran's work that he ordered the United States Navy's Great White Fleet to pay tribute to him by dipping their flags as they passed by the island.[8]

Dutton died in Honolulu on March 26, 1931, in Hawaiʻi. He was buried at St. Philomena Catholic Church Cemetery, Kalaupapa. In 2015, the Diocese of Honolulu set up a committee to evaluate the possibility of canonization.[2][11] In December 2015, the Joseph Dutton Guild was established by the Diocese of Honolulu to petition the Diocese of Honolulu to start the formal cause of beatification and canonization. At the present, the Guild is in the process of collecting evidence to ascertain whether a petition for a formal cause is feasible.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b The Catholic Encyclopedia and its makers. New York: The Encyclopedia Press. 1917. pp. 51.
  2. ^ a b "Another Molokai Saint? Diocese Of Honolulu Investigates Brother Dutton's Life". The Wanderer Newspaper. April 26, 2014. Retrieved May 5, 2016.
  3. ^ Wisconsin Adjutant General's Office. Roster of Wisconsin Volunteers, War of the Rebellion, 1861-1865 Vol. 1. Madison, Wisconsin: Democrat Printing Co., 1886, p. 739.
  4. ^ "Dutton, Ira B." Civil War Soldiers. National Park Service. Retrieved June 1, 2025.
  5. ^ "Dutton, Ira B." Civil War Soldiers. National Park Service. Retrieved June 1, 2025.
  6. ^ a b c d "Brother Joseph Dutton". Kalaupapa National Historical Park. National Park Service.
  7. ^ a b MacNamara, Pat (October 8, 2012). "A Servant of the Lepers: Brother Joseph of Molokai". Patheos. Retrieved May 5, 2016.
  8. ^ a b vonBuol, Peter (November–December 2014). "Saint Damien's Soldier". Maui Magazine. Retrieved May 5, 2016.
  9. ^ Encyclopedia Americana (1969 edition), Volume 9 page 501
  10. ^  Dutton, Joseph (1913). "Molokai". In Herbermann, Charles (ed.). Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
  11. ^ "The Path to Sainthood: Brother Joseph Dutton". KHON2. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved May 5, 2016.

Further reading

[edit]
  • Crouch, Howard E. Brother Dutton of Molokai. Bellmore, N.Y: Damien-Dutton Society for Leprosy Aid, 2000.
  • Dutton, Charles J. The Samaritans of Molokai: The Lives of Father Damien and Brother Dutton Among the Lepers. Freeport, N.Y: Books for Libraries Press, 1971.
  • Dutton, Joseph. Joseph Dutton, His Memoirs: The Story of Forty-Four Years of Service Among the Lepers of Molokai, Hawaii. Honolulu: Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 1931.
[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Joseph Dutton.