Sir John Henry Butters, CMG, MBE (23 December 188529 July 1969) was an Australian electrical engineer notable for his role in the Tasmanian Hydro-electric Department from 1914 to 1924, and as the head of the

Federal Capital Commission The National Capital Authority (NCA) is a statutory authority of the Government of Australia, Australian Government that was established to manage the Commonwealth's interest in the planning and development of Canberra as the capital city of A ...

, which developed

Canberra Canberra ( ; ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the Federation of Australia, federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's list of cities in Australia, largest in ...

between 1925 and 1930.

Biography

Butters was born in

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Berkshire to the north, Surrey and West Sussex to the east, the Isle of Wight across the Solent to the south, ...

, England, and trained as an electrical engineer at Hartley College,

Southampton Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...

. He moved to Australia in 1909. He is best known for his role as Chief Commissioner of the

. The FCC was active during the early expansion of the new federal capital,

, and was successful in planning and building many significant buildings. For his role in the city's development he is sometimes referred to as the 'Founder of Canberra'. Butters left Canberra in 1929 for

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

, where he made a career as a consulting engineer, which continued until his retirement in 1954. When he died, personal papers and diaries were not available, and the subsequent attempt at biography has proved difficult.

Honours

He was appointed a Member of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(MBE) on 19 October 1920, "in recognition of service during the war". On 1 June 1923 he was made a Companion of the

Order of St Michael and St George The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince of Wales (the future King George IV), while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George III ...

(CMG) for his work as Chief Engineer of the Tasmania Hydro-Electric Department. On 8 July 1927, Butters was knighted to honour his work as Commissioner of the Federal Capital Commission.It's an Honour: Knight Bachelor
/ref> Butters Drive in the Canberra suburb of Phillip is named in his honour. He was an inaugural inductee into the Canberra Engineering Hall of Fame. John Butters Power Station in

Tasmania Tasmania (; palawa kani: ''Lutruwita'') is an island States and territories of Australia, state of Australia. It is located to the south of the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland, and is separated from it by the Bass Strait. The sta ...

is named after him. The Butters Bridge in the Molonglo Valley, Canberra is also named after him and was opened in September 2016. It is the longest pedestrian bridge in the Southern Hemisphere.

Notes

References

* The Canberra Engineering Hall of Fame. 2004
Inaugural Inductees - 2002
*https://web.archive.org/web/20080818051822/http://www.usyd.edu.au/alumni/about/vales/john_butters.shtml {{DEFAULTSORT:Butters, John 1885 births 1969 deaths Australian electrical engineers Australian Knights Bachelor Australian Members of the Order of the British Empire Australian Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George British emigrants to Australia