Edward Burgess Butler (December 16, 1853 – February 20, 1928) was an American businessman who founded

Butler Brothers Butler Brothers was a retailer and wholesale supplier based in Chicago. It was founded in 1877 as a mail-order company by Charles Hamblet Butler, George Henry Butler, George H. Butler and Edward Burgess Butler. History In the 1920s, Butler Broth ...

department stores. He served as the first president of the

Pasadena Society of Artists The Pasadena Society of Artists is a nonprofit arts organization in southern California, United States. It holds annual art exhibitions of its members' art works. Overview Pasadena Society of Artists, from its founding, attracted practitioners of a ...

Biography

He was born on December 16, 1853, in

Lewiston, Maine Lewiston (; ) is the List of municipalities in Maine, second most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine, with the city's population at 37,121 as of the 2020 United States census. The city lies halfway between Augusta, Maine, Augusta, the sta ...

to Manly Orville Butler and Elizabeth Howe. He had eight siblings: two of them, George H. Bulter and Charles H. Butler formed a partnership with Edward. Manly owned a grocery store. In 1858, his family moved to

Boston, Massachusetts Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

, and he attended the

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

public school system. Together with his brothers, George and Charles, he founded

in 1877. For five years he sold goods throughout

New England New England is a region consisting of six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the ...

and

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

as a traveling salesman. He married Jane Holly in 1880, she was the daughter of William Henry Holly, of

Norwalk, Connecticut Norwalk is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. The city, part of the New York metropolitan area, New York Metropolitan Area, is the List of municipalities of Connecticut by population, sixth-most populous city in Connecticut ...

. With his wealth he collected works by

George Inness George Inness (May 1, 1825 – August 3, 1894) was an American landscape painting, landscape painter. Now recognized as one of the most influential American artists of the nineteenth century, Inness was influenced by the Hudson River Schoo ...

, and later donated the collection to the

Art Institute of Chicago The Art Institute of Chicago, founded in 1879, is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the United States. The museum is based in the Art Institute of Chicago Building in Chicago's Grant Park (Chicago), Grant Park. Its collection, stewa ...

. Having trained under Frank Charles Peyraud, Butler became a

landscape painter Landscape painting, also known as landscape art, is the depiction in painting of natural scenery such as mountains, valleys, rivers, trees, and forests, especially where the main subject is a wide view—with its elements arranged into a cohe ...

. For a time he exhibited his works under a pseudonym, "Edward Burgess". In 1908, he exhibited at the

. One of his oil paintings was displayed at the

Panama–Pacific International Exposition The Panama–Pacific International Exposition was a world's fair held in San Francisco, California, United States, from February 20 to December 4, 1915. Its stated purpose was to celebrate the completion of the Panama Canal, but it was widely s ...

in 1915. Butler moved to

Pasadena, California Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commerci ...

after he retired from business. He died in

on February 20, 1928.

Titles

* Director of Illinois Merchants Trust Company * Chairman of Ways and Means committee * Chairman of the

World's Columbian Exposition The World's Columbian Exposition, also known as the Chicago World's Fair, was a world's fair held in Chicago from May 5 to October 31, 1893, to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World in 1492. The ...

* President of the

Glenwood, Illinois Glenwood is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 8,662 at the 2020 census. Geography Glenwood is located at (41.544943, -87.612052). According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Glenwood has a total area of , ...

Manual Training School * Trustee of

Hull House Hull House was a settlement house in Chicago, Illinois, that was co-founded in 1889 by Jane Addams and Ellen Gates Starr. Located on the Near West Side of Chicago, Hull House, named after the original house's first owner Charles Jerald Hul ...

* Trustee of Chicago Orphan Asylum * Trustee of Girls' Refuge * Trustee of First State Pawners' Society * Trustee of

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Butler, Edward Burgess 1853 births 1928 deaths People from Lewiston, Maine American businesspeople in retailing American art collectors 19th-century American painters American male painters 20th-century American painters Businesspeople from Pasadena, California 19th-century American male artists 20th-century American male artists