Sir Alexander Kaye Butterworth (1854–1946) was the General Manager of the North Eastern Railway and also chairman of the Railway Executive 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 fig ...

. He was the father of the composer George Butterworth (1885–1916)

Personal life

Butterworth was born on 4 December 1854 at

Clifton, Bristol Clifton is both a suburb of Bristol, England, and the name of one of the city's thirty-five council wards. The Clifton ward also includes the areas of Cliftonwood and Hotwells. The eastern part of the suburb lies within the ward of Clifton D ...

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean. The county town is the city of Gl ...

, the son of the Reverend George Butterworth of

Deerhurst Deerhurst is a village and civil parish in Gloucestershire, England, about southwest of Tewkesbury. The village is on the east bank of the River Severn. The parish includes the village of Apperley and the hamlet of Deerhurst Walton. The 2011 ...

, Gloucestershire, and his wife Frances Maria Butterworth (née Kaye). Butterworth was a great grandson of the

abolitionist Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the movement to end slavery. In Western Europe and the Americas, abolitionism was a historic movement that sought to end the Atlantic slave trade and liberate the enslaved people. The British ...

Joseph Butterworth Joseph Butterworth (1770 – 30 June 1826) was an English law bookseller and politician. Life He was son of the Rev. John Butterworth, a Baptist minister in Coventry, where he was born. At an early age he went to London, where he learned the law ...

. He was educated at

Marlborough College Marlborough College is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English Independent school (United Kingdom), independent boarding school) for pupils aged 13 to 18 in Marlborough, Wiltshire, England. Founded in 1843 for the sons of Church ...

from August 1868 to March 1874, and then attended

London University The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degr ...

, where he graduated in 1877. Butterworth married Julia Marguerite Wigan at

St Margaret's, Westminster The Church of St Margaret, Westminster Abbey, is in the grounds of Westminster Abbey on Parliament Square, London, England. It is dedicated to Margaret of Antioch, and forms part of a single World Heritage Site with the Palace of Westminster ...

on 16 July 1884. Their son George became a composer. He was killed in action during the

Battle of the Somme The Battle of the Somme (French: Bataille de la Somme), also known as the Somme offensive, was a battle of the First World War fought by the armies of the British Empire and French Third Republic against the German Empire. It took place bet ...

in 1916. Julia died in 1911. Butterworth was knighted in 1914. He married Dorothea Mavor in 1916.

Sports

Butterworth played rackets and rugby at school, as well as performing gymnastics. In 1874, he joined

Clifton Rugby Football Club Clifton Rugby Football Club is an English rugby union club founded in Clifton, Bristol. Over the years the club's home games have been played in a variety of locations in northern Bristol, though never in Clifton itself; since 1976 they hav ...

. He played

tennis Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball c ...

at Wimbledon in 1880, losing in the first round to R. T. Richardson 3-0.

Career

Butterworth qualified for The Bar in 1878, and qualified as a solicitor in 1883. He gained his

Bachelor of Law Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Ch ...

degree in 1884, He then joined the

Great Western Railway The Great Western Railway (GWR) was a British railway company that linked London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 mill ...

, working in its legal department. During 1889 and 1890, Butterworth played a leading role in the Railway Rates Inquiry, acting for the English, Irish and Scottish railway companies. In 1890, he was appointed a

Clerk of the Peace A clerk of the peace held an office in England and Wales whose responsibility was the records of the quarter sessions and the framing of presentments and indictments. They had legal training, so that they could advise justices of the peace. Hist ...

for

Bedfordshire Bedfordshire (; abbreviated Beds) is a ceremonial county in the East of England. The county has been administered by three unitary authorities, Borough of Bedford, Central Bedfordshire and Borough of Luton, since Bedfordshire County Council ...

, a position he held for six months, before joining the North Eastern Railway (NER) as a solicitor in February 1891. In 1905, he succeeded Sir George Gibb as General Manager. He represented the NER in his capacity a company solicitor at the inquiry into the railway accident at Thirsk in 1892. During the

, Butterworth was appointed chairman of the

Railway Executive Committee The Railway Executive Committee (REC) was a government body which controlled the operation of Britain's railways during World War I and World War II. It should not be confused with the Railway Executive which was a division of the British Transpor ...

in addition to his position with the NER, a position he held until 1919. He was also chairman of the Victoria Park Hospital for Heart and Chest Diseases from 1916–35. He was succeeded in that position by

Henry Guest Lieutenant-Colonel Christian Henry Charles Guest (15 February 1874 – 9 October 1957), usually known as Henry Guest, was a Liberal Party politician in the United Kingdom. Family He was the second son of Ivor Guest, 1st Baron Wimborne and his w ...

. Butterworth served on the Civil Service Arbitration Board from 1917–20. He retired from his position as General Manager of the NER on 31 December 1921 and was succeeded by Ralph Wedgwood. Butterworth remained in the employ of the NER until it ceased to exist at the Grouping of the Railways in 1923.

Death

Butterworth died on 23 January 1946 at his home in Hampstead,

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a historic county in southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the ceremonial county of Greater London, with small sections in neighbourin ...

following a short illness. His funeral was held on 28 January at

St John-at-Hampstead St John-at-Hampstead is a Church of England parish church dedicated to St John the Evangelist (though the original dedication was only refined from St John to this in 1917 by the Bishop of London) in Church Row, Hampstead, London. History H ...

Church and he was interred in the churchyard.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Butterworth, Alexander Kaye 1854 births 1946 deaths Bristol Bears players British male tennis players British solicitors English male tennis players English rugby union players Great Western Railway people North Eastern Railway (UK) people People educated at Marlborough College Rugby union players from Clifton, Bristol Tennis people from Bristol