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William Walton Butterworth | |
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| 8thUnited States Ambassador toCanada | |
| In office October 4, 1962 – September 10, 1968 | |
| President | John F. Kennedy Lyndon B. Johnson |
| Preceded by | Livingston T. Merchant |
| Succeeded by | Harold F. Linder |
| 1stUnited States Ambassador tothe European Communities | |
| In office August 10, 1961 – October 25, 1962 | |
| President | John F. Kennedy |
| Preceded by | New office |
| Succeeded by | John W. Tuthill |
| United States Ambassador toSweden | |
| In office July 5, 1950 – December 9, 1953 | |
| President | Harry S. Truman Dwight D. Eisenhower |
| Preceded by | H. Freeman Matthews |
| Succeeded by | John M. Cabot |
| 1st Assistant Secretary of State for Japanese Affairs | |
| In office March 28, 1950 – July 4, 1950 | |
| President | Harry S. Truman |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Position abolished |
| 1st Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs | |
| In office September 29, 1949 – March 28, 1950 | |
| President | Harry S. Truman |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Dean Rusk |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1903-09-07)September 7, 1903 New Orleans,Louisiana, U.S. |
| Died | March 31, 1975(1975-03-31) (aged 71) New York City, U.S. |
| Resting place | New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. |
William Walton Butterworth (September 7, 1903 – March 31, 1975) was an American diplomat. He wasUnited States Ambassador to Canada. Butterworth is best known for his work on Asian-American foreign relations, particularly during the clash of the communists and nationalists in post-war China. He was also instrumental in laying the groundwork for theEuropean Union via his work with theEuropean Coal and Steel Community andEuropean Economic Community.
Butterworth was born inNew Orleans,Orleans Parish, Louisiana, on September 7, 1903.[1] InMercer County, New Jersey, he attendedThe Lawrenceville School where he graduated in 1921. He later attended New Jersey'sPrinceton University, graduating in 1925. He was also aRhodes Scholar atOxford University inEngland.
He entered theForeign Service in 1928 and began a career that encompassed 40 years of service.
His career began with a one-year stint at theState Department building in Washington. From 1929 to 1931, he was the vice consul to the Embassy in Singapore. Following brief posts in Washington and Ottawa, he was assigned to the American Embassy in London, where he served as second secretary until 1941. DuringWorld War II, Butterworth was first secretary of the American Embassy in Madrid from 1942 to 1944. Concurrently, he was in charge of operations for the United States Commercial Co. for theIberian Peninsula, a government entity that played war games by procuring strategic war materials, includingtungsten. From 1944 to 1946 he was the U.S. Embassy counselor in Madrid. From 1946 to 1947, Mr. Butterworth served as the counselor of the U.S. Embassy in Nanking, China, where he held the rank of minister and was a political advisor toGeorge Marshall. Following his assignment in China, Butterworth returned as director for Far Eastern Affairs. He was appointed by General Marshall to be the Assistant Secretary for Far Eastern Affairs in 1950. Butterworth later served as U.S. ambassador to Sweden, U.S. representative to theEuropean Coal and Steel Community, U.S. representative to theEuropean Economic Community andEuropean Atomic Energy Community. He was named aCareer Ambassador on March 20, 1962, one of forty-six diplomats to hold the title.
In what would be his last posting, Butterworth was appointed by PresidentJohn F. Kennedy to be the 8th U.S. Ambassador toCanada on October 4, 1962; on September 10, 1968, he would leave this posting.[2]
On February 22, 1943, Butterworth and the other passengers and crew on Pan American'sYankee Clipper crashed into theTagus River in Lisbon, Portugal. On September 13, 1968, Butterworth was presented with the Department'sAward for Heroism, he was cited:
In recognition of your courage and cool-headed resourcefulness at the crash...Although injured, you broke free of the wreckage, swam to survivors in the water and assisted them in reaching floating debris which sustained life until a rescue boat arrived[3]
Butterworth was an expert swimmer and helped other survivors despite two cracked ribs, all while keeping his briefcase full of classified documents with him.[3] The plane crashed when the left wing touched the water during descent.[4]Tamara Drasin andBen Robertson, along with 22 others, were killed in the crash.[5]
After retirement in 1968, William Walton Butterworth died on March 31, 1975, ofcirrhosis of the liver. While his last residence was inMercer County, New Jersey, he was buried at Metairie Cemetery, City of New Orleans,Orleans Parish, Louisiana.
| Government offices | ||
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| New title | Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs September 29, 1949 – July 4, 1950 | Succeeded by |
| Diplomatic posts | ||
| Preceded by | United States Ambassador to Sweden Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary July 5, 1950 – December 9, 1953 | Succeeded by |
| New title | United States Ambassador to the European Communities August 10, 1961 – October 25, 1962 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | United States Ambassador to Canada October 4, 1962 – September 10, 1968 | Succeeded by |
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| Chargé d'Affaires | ||
| Minister Resident | ||
| Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary | ||
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