Amos William Butler (1 October 1860 – 5 August 1937) was an American

naturalist Natural history is a domain of inquiry involving organisms, including animals, fungi, and plants, in their natural environment, leaning more towards observational than experimental methods of study. A person who studies natural history is cal ...

and prison reformer.

Early life and education

Amos Butler was born on 1 October 1860 in

Brookville, Indiana Brookville is a town in Brookville Township, Franklin County, Indiana, United States. The town is the county seat of and the largest community entirely within Franklin County. The population was 2,596 at the 2010 census. History Brookville was ...

to mother Hannah Wright Butler and father William W. Butler. Amos Butler's grandfather, also named Amos Butler, was the first settler of Brookville. Starting in 1877, Butler attended

Hanover College Hanover College is a private college in Hanover, Indiana, United States, affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA). Founded in 1827 by Reverend John Finley Crowe, it is Indiana's oldest private college. The Hanover athletic teams participat ...

. He then went on to attend

Indiana University Bloomington Indiana University Bloomington (IU Bloomington, Indiana University, IU, IUB, or Indiana) is a public university, public research university in Bloomington, Indiana, United States. It is the flagship university, flagship campus of Indiana Univer ...

, where he was a member of

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States. It was founded in 1776 at the College of William & Mary in Virginia. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal arts and sciences, ...

and

Sigma Xi Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Honor Society () is an international non-profit honor society for scientists and engineers. Sigma Xi was founded at Cornell University by a faculty member and graduate students in 1886 and is one of the oldest ...

, an honorary scientific fraternity.

Career

Butler founded several organizations, including the Brookville Society of Natural History in 1881, the Indiana Academy of Science in 1885, and the International Committee on Mental Hygiene He was also a member of several other organizations, including the American Ornithologists' Union, Wilson Ornithological Club, the

Biological Society of Washington Biology is the scientific study of life and living organisms. It is a broad natural science that encompasses a wide range of fields and unifying principles that explain the structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, and distribution of ...

, the Cincinnati Society of Natural History, and the Nature Study Club of Indiana. From 1897 to 1923, Butler was the Secretary of the Indiana Board of State Charities where he began researching

prison reform Prison reform is the attempt to improve conditions inside prisons, improve the effectiveness of a penal system, reduce recidivism or implement alternatives to incarceration. It also focuses on ensuring the reinstatement of those whose lives are ...

and mental disabilities. During his career, he would serve as the president of the National Conference of Social Work and the American Prison Congress, and he would be appointed the U.S. delegate to the International Prison Congress three times. He retired in 1930 and began researching the native peoples of Indiana which include research on silver trading at

Fort Ouiatenon Fort Ouiatenon, built in 1717, was the first fortified European settlement in what is now Indiana, United States. It was a palisade stockade with log blockhouse used as a French trading post on the Wabash River located approximately three miles ...

Honors

Butler had a species of snake named after him, Butler's garter snake (''Thamnophis butleri''). A chapter of the

National Audubon Society The National Audubon Society (Audubon; ) is an American non-profit environmental organization dedicated to conservation of birds and their habitats. Located in the United States and incorporated in 1905, Audubon is one of the oldest of such orga ...

in Central Indiana is called the Amos Butler Audubon Society. In 1903, Butler's biography was included in ''

Who's Who in America Marquis Who's Who, also known as A.N. Marquis Company ( or ), is an American publisher of a number of directories containing short biographies. The books usually are entitled ''Who's Who in...'' followed by some subject, such as ''Who's Who in A ...

''. In 1910, his biography was included in '' American Men of Science''.

Personal life

Butler married Mary I. Reynolds and had at least one child, a daughter named Carrie Butler Watts.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Butler, Amos 1860 births 1937 deaths People from Brookville, Indiana Hanover College alumni Indiana University Bloomington alumni American naturalists Indiana University faculty Purdue University faculty University of Chicago faculty