Howard Edward Butt Sr. (April 9, 1895 – March 12, 1991) was an American businessman, and CEO of the
H-E-B
H-E-B Grocery Company, LP, is an American privately held supermarket chain based in San Antonio, Texas, with more than 340 stores throughout the U.S. state of Texas, as well as in northeast Mexico. The company also operates Central Market, an ...
grocery store chain, which was founded by his mother, Florence Thornton Butt, in 1905.
Early life
Howard Butt was youngest of the three sons born to Charles Butt, a pharmacist from
Memphis
Memphis most commonly refers to:
* Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt
* Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city
Memphis may also refer to:
Places United States
* Memphis, Alabama
* Memphis, Florida
* Memphis, Indiana
* Memp ...
, and Florence Thornton Butt.
[Supermarket News: "A TEXAS-GROWN SUCCESS STORY" by Elliot Zwiebach]
January 31, 2005 The family moved to the drier climate of
Kerrville, Texas
Kerrville is a city in, and the county seat of, Kerr County, Texas, Kerr County, Texas, United States. The population of Kerrville was 24,278 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Kerrville is named after James Kerr (Texas politi ...
due to his father's tuberculosis, and in 1905, his mother opened a small grocery store below their apartment. Howard managed the store while in high school and then after graduation, moved to California, where he harvested grapes. After service in the Navy during World War I, he returned to Texas in 1919 to once again manage the family store.
[New York Times: "Howard Butt, 95, Dies; Founded Store Chain"]
March 14, 1991
Career
In 1922, he switched the store from the traditional "credit-and-delivery" setup to "cash-and-carry" and expanded its lineup from basic groceries to include personal care products. His first attempt at expansion – establishing a feed store in Kerrville and three satellite stores in nearby towns – ended in failure. In 1926, he tried again and opened a second store in
Del Rio, Texas
Del Rio is a city and the county seat of Val Verde County in southwestern Texas, United States. The city is 152 miles west of San Antonio. As of 2020, Del Rio had a population of 34,673.
History
The Spanish established a small settlement south o ...
, 150 miles to the southwest along the
Rio Grande
The Rio Grande ( and ), known in Mexico as the Río Bravo del Norte or simply the Río Bravo, is one of the principal rivers (along with the Colorado River) in the southwestern United States and in northern Mexico.
The length of the Rio G ...
which was successful. In 1928, he borrowed $38,000 realizing the need to expand to areas with greater population. He purchased a further three stores in the
Rio Grande Valley
The Lower Rio Grande Valley ( es, Valle del Río Grande), commonly known as the Rio Grande Valley or locally as the Valley or RGV, is a region spanning the border of Texas and Mexico located in a floodplain of the Rio Grande near its mouth. The ...
some 300 miles to the South near the Mexican border. His new strategy paid off and he moved the company headquarters to
Harlingen, Texas
Harlingen ( ) is a city in Cameron County in the central region of the Rio Grande Valley of the southern part of the U.S. state of Texas, about from the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. The city covers more than and is the second-largest city in ...
, where he opened up a distribution center and established the Harlingen Cannery which packaged Texas-manufactured produce. Thereafter, the company grew rapidly expanding into
Laredo (1929),
Corpus Christi (1931),
Austin
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...
(1938), and
San Antonio
("Cradle of Freedom")
, image_map =
, mapsize = 220px
, map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = United States
, subdivision_type1= U.S. state, State
, subdivision_name1 = Texas
, s ...
(1943).
In 1935, he changed the name of the company to ''H.E. Butt Grocery''. In 1940, he moved the company headquarters to Corpus Christi where he had opened a central bakery four years earlier. In 1946, he shortened the company name to
H-E-B
H-E-B Grocery Company, LP, is an American privately held supermarket chain based in San Antonio, Texas, with more than 340 stores throughout the U.S. state of Texas, as well as in northeast Mexico. The company also operates Central Market, an ...
. In 1952, H-E-B opened its first
supermarket
A supermarket is a self-service Retail#Types of outlets, shop offering a wide variety of food, Drink, beverages and Household goods, household products, organized into sections. This kind of store is larger and has a wider selection than earli ...
in Corpus Christi then a new retail store concept where a shopper could purchase meat, fish, produce, baked goods, and personal care products under a single roof.
Butt gradually transitioned control of the company to his two sons. In 1971, his eldest son, Howard E. Butt Jr., resigned from the presidency to become a minister and his second son Charles Butt took over the leadership role.
Howard Edward Butt Sr. remained as chairman until 1991 when he died at age 95.
Personal life
In 1924, he married
Mary Elizabeth Holdsworth.
[The Foundations of Texan Philanthropy By Mary L. Kelley](_blank)
/ref> They had four children:[Texas State Historical Association: "BUTT, MARY ELIZABETH HOLDSWORTH"](_blank)
retrieved October 29, 2012[State of Texas Senate Resolution 530 (honoring the contributions of Mary Elizabeth Holdsworth Butt)]
March 23, 1995
* Howard E. Butt Jr. (September 8, 1927 – September 11, 2016), president of the H. E. Butt Foundation and founder of Christian learning center Laity Lodge;
*Margaret Eleanor Butt Crook served as director of Bread for the World
Bread for the World is a non-partisan, Christian advocacy organization based in the United States that advocates for policy changes to end hunger. Bread for the World provides resources to help individuals advocate to end hunger, which might inc ...
. Her husband, William H. Crook, served as director of the Volunteers in Service to America
AmeriCorps VISTA is a national service program designed to alleviate poverty. President John F. Kennedy originated the idea for VISTA, which was founded as Volunteers in Service to America in 1965, and incorporated into the AmeriCorps network of ...
(VISTA) and later as United States Ambassador to Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
.
* Charles Clarence Butt (born February 3, 1938), the chairman of H. E. Butt Grocery Company, and founder of education leadership organization The Holdsworth Center.
*Another child, Mary Beth Butt, who lived for only 10 days (November 17, 1943 – November 27, 1943), is buried beside Mary Elizabeth Holdsworth Butt at the Glen Rest Cemetery in Kerrville, Texas, was the fourth child of Howard Butt Sr. and Mary Elizabeth Holdsworth Butt.
Butt was a lay minister in the Southern Baptist Church
The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) is a Christian denomination based in the United States. It is the world's largest Baptist denomination, and the largest Protestant and second-largest Christian denomination in the United States. The word ...
.
Philanthropy
In 1934, after a destructive Texas hurricane, he founded the Howard E. Butt Community Investment Program whereby H-E-B would contribute 5% of its pretax earnings to various nonprofit organizations throughout Texas. Also in 1934, he established the H.E. Butt Foundation, one of the first charitable organizations in Texas. The foundation focused on funding public school programs, establishing libraries and constructing recreational facilities.
Butt deferred much of his philanthropic activities to his wife, stating: "I make the money, and Mary spends it (on worthy causes). And I am glad she does." His wife started the State Crippled Children's Program, served as chairwoman of the Cameron County Child Welfare Board, started the first tuberculosis diagnosis and treatment program in the region, and purchased the first equipment used to test the hearing and vision of schoolchildren. In 1949, she co-organized and hosted the first Conference of Texas Foundations and Trusts which coordinated philanthropic giving so as to avoid duplication and promoted the exchange ideas and strategies.[Conference of Southwest Foundations: History]
retrieved November 27, 2012 In 1955, she was appointed by Texas Governor Allan Shivers
Robert Allan Shivers (; October 5, 1907 – January 14, 1985) was an American politician who served as the 37th governor of Texas. Shivers was a leader of the Texas Democratic Party during the turbulent 1940s and 1950s and developed the lieutena ...
to the governing board of Texas State Hospitals and Special Schools (later the Texas Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation
Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by bo ...
). She served as the only woman member of the board for 18 years being appointed by six different governors.University of Texas at Brownsville newspaper Orange and White: "Million Dollar Arts Center to Honor H-E-B Matriarch
Winter 2008
In 1961, President
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination ...
appointed Butt to the President's Committee on Equal Employment Opportunity. Butt also helped establish the
University of Corpus Christi
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...
, now part of the
Texas A&M University System
The Texas A&M University System is a state university system in Texas and is one of the state's six independent university systems.
The Texas A&M University System is one of the largest systems of higher education in the United States, with a bu ...
.
References
External links
Joe Herring Blog: Kerrville StoriesRandom photos of the Howard Butt family
{{DEFAULTSORT:Butt, Howard Edward Butt Sr.
Baptists from Tennessee
1895 births
1991 deaths
Butt family
20th-century American philanthropists
Baptists from Texas
American grocers
People from Kerrville, Texas
United States Navy personnel of World War I
People from Memphis, Tennessee
20th-century Baptists