Thomas Butler was an editor and proprietor (later co-proprietor) of the Freeman's Journal from the early 1870s through until the mid 1890s. He was the younger brother of New South Wales barrister and M.L.A., Edward Butler (1823-1879), and was a close friend of William Bede Dalley. During his term as editor of the Freeman's Journal the newspaper became less sectarian and enjoyed a period of relative stability and prosperity. As editor, Butler encouraged a number of writers, including Henry Kendall and Henry Lawson.