Sir Thomas Dacres Butler (3 October 1845 – 29 December 1937) was a

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

officer and senior civil servant.

Biography

Butler was born in

Hambledon, Hampshire Hambledon is a small village and civil parish in the county of Hampshire in England, situated about north of Portsmouth within the South Downs National Park. Hambledon is best known as the 'Cradle of Cricket'. It is thought that Hambledon C ...

, the son of Colonel Thomas Butler and Arabella Dacres. He attended the

Royal Military College, Sandhurst The Royal Military College (RMC) was a United Kingdom, British military academy for training infantry and cavalry Officer (armed forces), officers of the British Army, British and British Indian Army, Indian Armies. It was founded in 1801 at Gre ...

and commissioned into the

52nd (Oxfordshire) Regiment of Foot The 52nd (Oxfordshire) Regiment of Foot was a light infantry regiment of the British Army throughout much of the 18th and 19th centuries. The regiment first saw active service during the American War of Independence, and were posted to India dur ...

. He gained the rank of captain in 1873. He was admitted to the

Middle Temple The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known simply as Middle Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court entitled to Call to the bar, call their members to the English Bar as barristers, the others being the Inner Temple (with whi ...

on 18 April 1882. Butler served as Secretary to the

Lord Chamberlain The Lord Chamberlain of the Household is the most senior officer of the Royal Households of the United Kingdom, Royal Household of the United Kingdom, supervising the departments which support and provide advice to the Monarchy of the United Ki ...

in the Royal Household before becoming Yeoman-Usher of the Black Rod, the deputy of

Black Rod The usher of the Black Rod is an official in the parliaments of several countries of the Commonwealth of Nations. The title is often shortened to Black Rod, and in some countries, formally known as Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod or Lady Usher ...

, in 1892. He served in the

House of Lords The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...

in this position until 1929, notably overseeing the installation of electric lighting to the House in 1904. He was invested as a Knight Commander of the

Royal Victorian Order The Royal Victorian Order () is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the monarch, members of the royal family, or to any viceroy or senior representative of the m ...

in 1918. Butler married Nina Helen Elliot, daughter of Admiral Sir George Elliot and Hersey Susan Sydney Wauchope, on 12 July 1877.J. Foster, ''The royal lineage of our noble and gentle families'' (Рипол Классик), 148. Their second daughter, Hersey, married Ivo Murray Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes, 20th Baron Saye and Sele.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Butler, Thomas Dacres 1845 births 1937 deaths Knights Commander of the Royal Victorian Order Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst 52nd Regiment of Foot officers British civil servants People from the City of Winchester Members of the Middle Temple