J. R. M. Butler | |
|---|---|
 Butler in 1962 | |
| Born | James Ramsay Montagu Butler (1889-07-20)20 July 1889 Cambridge, England |
| Died | 1 March 1975(1975-03-01) (aged 85) |
Sir James Ramsay Montagu Butler,OBE (20 July 1889 – 1 March 1975) was a British politician and academic. He was a member of parliament for Cambridge University from 1922 to 1923. He wasRegius Professor of Modern History at theUniversity of Cambridge from 1947 to 1954, and vice-master ofTrinity College, Cambridge, from 1954 to 1960. He also saw military service during both theFirst andSecond World Wars.
Butler was born atTrinity College, Cambridge, where his father,Henry Montagu Butler (1833–1918),[1] Cambridge senior classic in 1855, wasmaster of the college (1886–1918). His mother, Montagu Butler's second wife,Agnata Frances Ramsay, attained the highest marks in the Classical Tripos at Cambridge in 1887.[2] With this impeccable classical background, Butler attendedHarrow School and then Trinity College. As an undergraduate he was a brilliant scholar, winning a number of prizes including the Chancellor's Medal in Classics and the Craven Scholarship, and gaining a double first class in Classics and History. He was also president of theCambridge Union in 1910.[3]
When theFirst World War broke out in 1914, he joined theScottish Horse. This was a regiment in the Yeomanry, and it saw service in the Middle East, first in theGallipoli Campaign and thenEgypt. Butler next gained a position in the Directorate of Military Operations in the War Office and ended the war serving in the general staff of the British forces in France. His service led to him being appointedOfficer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) and he was twicementioned in despatches.
At the end of the war Butler returned toCambridge. In 1922 he stood as a member of parliament forCambridge University. His greatest achievement during his short tenure in theHouse of Commons was the passage of theOxford and Cambridge Universities Act 1922, which put into law the proposals of theRoyal Commission established in 1919 to review the organisation and constitutions of the universities and the statutes of their colleges.[4] He was defeated in the1923 general election by his cousin SirGeorge Butler. Promotion to tutor came in 1928, a lectureship in history in 1929 and then as senior tutor in 1931.[5] In 1929 he was appointed as a 'tutor' toLudwig Wittgenstein, in which position he was charged with helping to navigate the administrative procedures required for theTractatus to be accepted for examination as aPhD thesis.[6]
Another world war intervened in his academic career. During theSecond World War, Butler returned to military service in the Army Intelligence Corps, recruiting many former students includingBernard Willson to work on code breaking atBletchley Park. From 1942 he worked in the field of civil affairs and military government, with particular focus on France. After the conclusion of hostilities, he was appointed editor United Kingdom Military Series of theHistory of the Second World War by the Prime MinisterClement Attlee. He was appointedRegius Professor of Modern History in 1947, holding the chair until 1954. He wrote two of the volumes concerninggrand strategy published in that series. In 1958 he was given a knighthood for his work on the books.[5] Butler resigned his chair in 1954 and was then appointedemeritus professor. The following year he was elected vice-master of Trinity College, a post he held until 1960.
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
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| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forCambridge University 1922 –1923 With:John Rawlinson | Succeeded by |
| Academic offices | ||
| Preceded by | Regius Professor of Modern History at theUniversity of Cambridge 1947–1954 | Succeeded by |
