Paul Butler (1892–1981) was an American heir, businessman and polo player.Alex Webbe
Paul Butler Was a Pioneer of Polo
''

Palm Beach Daily News The ''Palm Beach Daily News'' is a newspaper serving the town of Palm Beach in Palm Beach County in South Florida. It is also known as "The Shiny Sheet" because of its heavy, slick newsprint stock. It was founded in 1897 as the ''Lake Worth Dail ...

'', June 28, 1981Bess Winakor
The Butlers: Old Family Traces Roots From Colonies to PB Polo
''Palm Beach Daily News'', January 2, 1983Bruce Buursma
Michael Butler: From Polo Field To Chapter 11
''

The Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...

'', September 26, 1990

Biography

Early life

Paul Butler was born on June 23, 1892 in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...

. He is a descendant of the Butler family of

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

, headed by the

Duke of Ormond The peerage title Earl of Ormond and the related titles Duke of Ormonde and Marquess of Ormonde have a long and complex history. An earldom of Ormond has been created three times in the Peerage of Ireland. History of Ormonde titles The earldom ...

. In 1654, his ancestor William Butler fled the British Isles because of

Oliver Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English politician and military officer who is widely regarded as one of the most important statesmen in English history. He came to prominence during the 1639 to 1651 Wars of the Three K ...

and settled in Ipswich, Massachusetts. His grandfather, Julius Butler, was the founder of the Butler Paper Company in Chicago in 1841. He also had a brother named Julius. He graduated from the

University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the Univer ...

. He served as a Lieutenant during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

Business

He served as President of his family business, the Butler Paper Company, from 1930 to 1965. By then, the company had diversified in paper, real estate and development. From 1960 to 1965, he served as President of the Nekoosa-Edwards Paper Company. He was a founder of

Oak Brook, Illinois Oak Brook is a village mostly in DuPage County with a small portion in Cook County in Illinois. Per the 2020 census, the population was 8,163. This suburb of Chicago has the headquarters of several companies and organizations including Ace Ha ...

, including the Bank of Oak Brook and the Oak Brook Public Utilities Company. He also founded the

Butler National Golf Club Butler National Golf Club is a private golf club located in Oak Brook, Illinois. History Butler National was the creation of Paul Butler, an affluent entrepreneur, philanthropist, and sportsman who was also the founder of the village of Oak Broo ...

. In 1945, he founded the Butler Aviation Corporation, the largest aviation company in the United States. In 1951 he was named head of the Defense Air Transportation Administration, a then newly formed government agency to coordinate aviation facilities and equipment for defense. He was a member of the

General Society of Colonial Wars The Society of Colonial Wars is a hereditary society composed of men who trace their descents from forebears who, in military, naval, or civil positions of high trust and responsibility, by acts or counsel, assisted in the establishment, defense, ...

, the Chicago Historical Society, the

Chicago Art Institute The Art Institute of Chicago in Chicago's Grant Park, founded in 1879, is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the world. Recognized for its curatorial efforts and popularity among visitors, the museum hosts approximately 1.5 mill ...

and the Chicago Museum of Natural History, and the Bath & Tennis and the Everglades Clubs in Palm Beach.

Polo

He won six U.S. Open Polo Championships and four Butler Handicap titles. On October 31, 1924, he chartered the Oak Brook Polo Club with.Horace Laffaye, ''Polo in the United States: A History'', Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Co., 2011, p. 93 In 1922, Paul and his father F.O. Butler registered the Oak Brook Polo Club with the

United States Polo Association The United States Polo Association (USPA) is the national governing body for the sport of polo in the United States. Introduction Established in 1890, by David Grubbs the USPA provides resources to over 4,500 individual members and 250 polo club ...

(USPA), making the club the fourth oldest in the United States. He served on the Board of Governors of the Palm Beach Polo and Country Club. He also served on the Board of Governors of the USPA for many years. He was a member of the Meadowbrook Polo Club. When the Meadowbrook Club was taken over by golfers some time after World War II, the Governors of the USPA came to Oak Brook to meet with Pau hat in hand to ask him to host the U.S.Open at Oak Brook, which by then had 12 polo fields, the 13th having been retired to a horseshow grounds as it was too small for a regulation size polo field, which is 10 acres. Paul and his family agreed to host the Open, and it was held in Oak Brook for 23 of 25 years between 1954 and 1978. During that time the polo and the entire Oak Brook Sports Corp, as the Butler's soak Brook land holdings were known, was managed by either Butler's daughter Jorie, or his son Michael. Jorie managed it all from 1968 until the early 1980s. (source Reute Butler) He was inducted in the

Museum of Polo and Hall of Fame The Museum of Polo and Hall of Fame is a 501(c)(3), non-profit organization to celebrate the sport of polo.Horace Laffaye, Dennis J. Amato, ''Polo in the United States: A History'', Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company, 2011, p. 28/ref> Overview It ...

on March 3, 1995.

Personal life

He was married three times, to Sarah Anne Josephine Rooney, Marjorie von Stresenreuter (later Mrs William Dunaway) and Jean Buckley. Michael Butler, a theatrical producer and businessman, whi=o is father of Adam, and grandfather of Liam; and Frank Osgood Butler II. He also had a daughter, Jorie Butler Kent, and Jorie has a daughter, Reute Butler.

Death

Butler was killed on June 24, 1981, one day after his 89th birthday, when he was struck by a car in front of his home in Oak Brook. Butler had walked out in front of his home at 1000 Oak Brook Road, at dusk, possibly to take photographs. He may have been standing in the middle of the street when he was hit by a driver. At the time, his net worth was estimated at "between $50 million and $125 million"."Paul Butler Dead at 89; Top Aviation Executive", ''New York Times'', June 26, 1981, pA-17 The man who killed Butler had ironically been at a bar in the Oakbrook Shopping Center celebrating his own upcoming nuptials. The family believes Paul was actually crossing the street to take photographs at a friend's daughter's birthday party, says his granddaughter Reute Butler.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Butler, Paul 1892 births 1981 deaths 20th-century American businesspeople American polo players Businesspeople from Chicago People from Oak Brook, Illinois University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign alumni