Edwin John Butler 1874-1943

Abstract

Edwin John Butler was born at Kilkee, Co. Clare, in 1874. He came from the cadet branch of a Norman-Irish family. He was the son of Thomas Butler, Resident Magistrate, and although he lived the greater part of his life in India and England, he never quite lost the outlook and habits of mind and the sardonic humour fostered in his Irish home. He went to school first at Gainsborough in Lincolnshire, but in 1887 a serious illness forced him to return to Ireland where he continued his studies under a tutor. During this period he had unlimited time and opportunity for reading, especially when his father was transferred to Cahiraveen in the heart of the countryside, and resided at a house containing a large library. Thus, with every branch of literature at hand, he was able to develop slowly and accumulate a diversity of interests and knowledge that were a great help to him in after life. His reading included books written by his uncle, Sir William Butler, and from them he became well versed in the history of military campaigns and in strategy as an art of war. In later years his detailed knowledge on such matters surprised many of his friends. It is probable that during this period he first developed his marked ability for clear thinking and lucid expression. In 1890 his health improved sufficiently for him to attend the Christian Brothers School in Cork, where he did brilliantly, a scholarship in mathematics being one of his successes. From there he went to Queen’s College, Cork, to start his medical studies. In 1898 he took the degrees of M.B., B.Ch. and B.A.O. of the Royal University of Ireland, and was called for honours. He never cared for medicine, however, and never practised. All his interest lay in botanical research, which was greatly fostered by Marcus Hartog, the Professor of Natural History, to whose early training Butler attributed most of his later success.