Sir George Geoffrey Gilbert Butler (15 August 1887 – 2 May 1929) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

historian, academic and politician who served as a

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

for

Cambridge University , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

, 1923–1929. He was from a prominent family of intellectuals and academics. He was the ninth son of Spencer Perceval Butler and a nephew of

Henry Montagu Butler Henry Montagu Butler (2 July 1833 – 14 January 1918) was an English academic and clergyman, who served as headmaster of Harrow School (1860–85), Dean of Gloucester (1885–86) and List of Masters of Trinity College, Cambridge, Master of Tr ...

Master of Trinity College, Cambridge The following have served as Master of Trinity College, Cambridge: {, class="wikitable" , - !Name !Portrait !colspan=2, Term of office , - , John Redman , , 1546 , 1551 , - , William Bill , , 1551 , 1553 , - , John Christopherson , , 1553 , ...

. Three of his brothers were also knighted: Sir Cyril Butler, Sir Montagu Butler, and Sir

Harcourt Butler Sir Spencer Harcourt Butler (1 August 1869 – 2 March 1938) was an officer of the Indian Civil Service who was the leading British official in Burma for much of his career, serving as Lieutenant-Governor (1915–17 and 1922–23) and later Gov ...

. He was educated at

Clifton College ''The spirit nourishes within'' , established = 160 years ago , closed = , type = Public schoolIndependent boarding and day school , religion = Christian , president = , head_label = Head of College , head ...

and

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by Henry VIII, King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any college at either Cambridge ...

, where he won the Chancellor's Medal for English Verse and was elected president of the

Cambridge Union Society The Cambridge Union Society, also known as the Cambridge Union, is a debating and free speech society in Cambridge, England, and the largest society in the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1815, it is the oldest continuously running debatin ...

. He was uncle of and mentor to

Rab Butler Richard Austen Butler, Baron Butler of Saffron Walden, (9 December 1902 – 8 March 1982), also known as R. A. Butler and familiarly known from his initials as Rab, was a prominent British Conservative Party politician. ''The Times'' obituary c ...

, and was an early sponsor of

Liddell Hart Sir Basil Henry Liddell Hart (31 October 1895 – 29 January 1970), commonly known throughout most of his career as Captain B. H. Liddell Hart, was a British soldier, military historian and military theorist. He wrote a series of military histo ...

, a former student who would upon the senior Butler's death that "I have never had a better friend, in every sense of the word." An avid

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...

, he was a significant figure in the intellectual and political history of his party between the World Wars. In April and May 1917, he was a member of the

Balfour Mission The Balfour Mission, also referred to as the Balfour Visit, was a formal diplomatic visit to the United States by the British Government during World War I, shortly after the United States declaration of war on Germany (1917). The mission's purpo ...

, intended to promote cooperation between the US and UK during World War I.

References

1887 births 1929 deaths Knights Bachelor Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge Fellows of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge Presidents of the Cambridge Union Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for the University of Cambridge UK MPs 1923–1924 UK MPs 1924–1929 {{England-Conservative-UK-MP-1880s-stub