Paul Butler (polo)


Paul Butler was an American heir, businessman and polo player.

Biography

Early life

Paul Butler was born on June 23, 1892 in Chicago, Illinois. He is a descendant of the Butler family of Ireland, headed by the Duke of Ormond. In 1654, his ancestor William Butler fled the British Isles because of Oliver Cromwell 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. He served as a Lieutenant during the First World War.

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, including the Bank of Oak Brook and the Oak Brook Public Utilities Company. He also founded the Butler National Golf Club. In 1945, he founded the Butler Aviation Corporation, the largest aviation company in the United States.
He was a member of the General Society of Colonial Wars, the Chicago Historical Society, the Chicago Art Institute and the Chicago Museum of Natural History.

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 Gene Gordon Culver and J. W. Butler. By December 19, 1924, it was affiliated with the United States Polo Association. He served on the Board of Governors of the Palm Beach Polo and Country Club. He also served for the USPA. He was a member of the Meadowbrook Polo Club.
He was inducted in the Museum of Polo and Hall of Fame on March 3, 1995.

Personal life

He was married three times, to Sarah Anne Josephine Rooney, Marjorie von Stresenreuter and Jean Buckley.
His sons were Norman Frank Butler, also a polo player; Michael Butler, a theatrical producer and businessman; and Frank Osgood Butler II. He also had a daughter, Jorie Butler Kent.

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, to take photographs. He was reportedly 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".