Arthur Hugh Montagu Butler (23 November 1873 – 28 May 1943) was an English librarian who was librarian at the

House of Lords Library The House of Lords Library is the library and information resource of the House of Lords, the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It provides Members of the House and their staff with books, Parliamentary material and reference ...

from 1914–22.

Early life and education

Butler was born in

Harrow, Middlesex Harrow () is a large town in Greater London, England, and serves as the principal settlement of the London Borough of Harrow. Lying about north-west of Charing Cross and south of Watford, the entire town including its localities had a popul ...

, the second son of academic Henry Montagu Butler and his first wife, Georgina Elliot, granddaughter of diplomat

Hugh Elliot Hugh Elliot (6 April 1752 – 1 December 1830) was a British diplomat and then a colonial governor. Education and early career Hugh Elliot was born on 6April 1752, the second son of Sir Gilbert Elliot, 3rd Baronet, of Minto, Sir Gilbert El ...

. His father was headmaster of

Harrow School (The Faithful Dispensation of the Gifts of God) , established = (Royal Charter) , closed = , type = Public schoolIndependent schoolBoarding school , religion = Church of E ...

(1860–85),

Dean of Gloucester The Dean of Gloucester is the head (''primus inter pares'': first among equals) and chair of the chapter of canons - the ruling body of Gloucester Cathedral - and senior priest of the Diocese of Gloucester. The dean and chapter are based at Glouce ...

(1885–86) and Master of Trinity College, Cambridge (1886–1918). His elder brother was

Edward Montagu Butler Edward Montagu Butler (3 December 1866 – 11 February 1948) was an English first-class cricketer and schoolmaster. Life Butler was born in Harrow-on-the-Hill, Middlesex. He was educated at Harrow School (of which his father was then headmaste ...

, who played first-class cricket. After their mother's death, his father remarried

Agnata Frances Ramsay Agnata Frances Butler (née Ramsay; 1867–1931) was a British classical scholar. She was among the first generation of women to take the Classical Tripos examinations at the University of Cambridge, and was the only person to be placed in the ...

. Sir

James Ramsay Montagu Butler Sir James Ramsay Montagu Butler, (20 July 1889 – 1 March 1975) was a British politician and academic. He was a member of parliament for Cambridge University from 1922 to 1923. He was Regius Professor of Modern History (Cambridge), Regius Prof ...

and Sir Nevile Butler were his younger half-brothers. Headmaster

George Butler George Butler may refer to: Arts and entertainment * George Butler (filmmaker) (1944–2021), American filmmaker * George Butler (record producer) (1931–2008), American record producer * George Bernard Butler (1838–1907), American painter * Ge ...

was his grandfather, Rev. Canon

his uncle, and Josephine Butler his aunt. Butler was educated at Harrow, where he played for the Cricket XI. He and William Francis George Wyndham won the public school rackets championship in 1890.

Career

Butler served as a clerk in the House of Lords from 1895–97, and was assistant librarian under

Sandford Arthur Strong Sandford Arthur Strong (10 April 1863 – 18 January 1904) was an English orientalist, art historian and librarian. Life Born in Kensington in 1863, he was the second son of Thomas Banks Strong of the War Office, and his wife, Anna Lawson; hi ...

(1897–1904) and Sir Edmund Gosse (1904–1914). He succeeded Gosse as librarian in 1914. In addition to his work at the library, Butler also acted as Secretary of Commissions to Lords Chancellors Robert Reid, 1st Earl Loreburn and Richard Haldane, 1st Viscount Haldane, as well as Secretary to the Statute Law Revision Committee, 1902–22. Butler oversaw the library alone during the First World War, when his assistant librarian,

Charles Travis Clay Sir Charles Travis Clay (30 July 1885 – 31 January 1978) was an English librarian and antiquarian who was the librarian of the House of Lords Library from 1922 to 1956. Early life and education Clay was born at Rastrick House in Rastrick, near ...

, was serving overseas. After the war, Butler and Clay started the process of creating a new card catalogue for the library's law books as a replacement

's Victorian era catalogue. On 18 January 1922, Butler booked a room for himself under a false name at the Midland Grand Hotel, St. Pancras. He was found in the bathroom shortly afterwards suffering from a severe wound to the throat in an apparent suicide attempt. He was transferred to University College Hospital, where he underwent surgery and recovered. He resigned his position on health grounds that year and was succeeded by Clay as librarian.

Personal life

In 1900, Butler married Margaret Edith, second daughter of Francis Law Latham, Advocate-General of Bombay, 1884–1893. There had one son and two daughters. He died in 1943 in London.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Butler, Arthur Hugh Montagu 1873 births 1943 deaths People from Harrow, London People educated at Harrow School English librarians Arthur Hugh