Amos William Butler (1 October 1860 – 5 August 1937) was an American naturalist.

Early life and education

Amos Butler was born on 1 October 1860 in Brookville, Indiana to mother Hannah Wright Butler and father William W. Butler. Amos Butler's grandfather, also named Amos Butler, was the first settler of Brookville. Starting in 1877, Butler attended Hanover College. He then went on to attend

Indiana University Bloomington Indiana University Bloomington (IU Bloomington, Indiana University, IU, or simply Indiana) is a public university, public research university in Bloomington, Indiana. It is the flagship university, flagship campus of Indiana University and, with ...

, where he was a member of

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal a ...

and Sigma Xi, an honorary scientific fraternity.

Career

Butler founded several organizations, including the Brookville Society of Natural History in 1881 and the Indiana Academy of Science in 1885. He was also a member of several other organizations, including the American Ornithologists' Union, Wilson Ornithological Club, the Biological Society of Washington, the Cincinnati Society of Natural History, and the Nature Study Club of Indiana.

Honors

Butler had a species of snake named after him,

Butler's garter snake Butler's garter snake (''Thamnophis butleri'') is a species of garter snake in the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to North America. Etymology The specific name ''butleri'' is in honor of ornithologist Amos Butler (1860-1937) of Broo ...

(''Thamnophis butleri''). A chapter of the

National Audubon Society The National Audubon Society (Audubon; ) is an American non-profit environmental organization dedicated to conservation of birds and their habitats. Located in the United States and incorporated in 1905, Audubon is one of the oldest of such organ ...

in Central Indiana is called the Amos Butler Audubon Society. In 1903, Butler's biography was included in '' Who's Who in America''. In 1910, his biography was included in ''

American Men of Science ''American Men and Women of Science'' (the 40th edition was published in 2022) is a biographical reference work on leading scientists in the United States and Canada, published as a series of books and online by Gale. The first edition was publish ...

''.

Personal life

Butler married Mary I. Reynolds and had at least one child, a daughter named Carrie Butler Watts.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Butler, Amos 1860 births 1937 deaths People from Brookville, Indiana Hanover College alumni Indiana University Bloomington alumni American naturalists Indiana University faculty Purdue University faculty University of Chicago faculty