December i, 1902.] 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



93 



THE LATE RICHARD BUTLER. 



RICHARD BUTLER, founder of the Butler Hard Rub- 

 ber Co., died on November 12, after a long continued 

 illness, in the Hotel Renaissance, in New York. He 

 was born at Birmingham, Ohio, August 9, 1831, be- 

 ing a descendant of Richard Butler, one of the earliest set- 

 tlers of Hartford, Connecticut. His father, Cyrus Butler, re- 

 moved from New England to Utica, New York, and thence 

 about 1820 to Norwalk, Ohio, of which town he was one of the 

 founders, afterward representing it in the state legislature. At 

 the age of fourteen, his father having died, Richard Butler went 

 to New York. A year later he became employed in the im- 

 porting house of A. W. Spies & Co. After five years spent 

 here, at the age of 21, he became connected with the house of 

 W. H. Cary & Co., then the largest firm in the notion trade in 

 America. In 1859 he became a partner in the firm, later 

 changed successively to Cary, Howard & Sanger and Howard, 

 Sanger & Co., and going into liquida- 

 tion in 1879. 



Mr. Butler then turned his attention 

 to the hard rubber business, which was 

 due to his firm having been selling 

 agents for the Rubber Comb and jew- 

 elry Co. He bought an interest in this 

 company,* became its president, and in 

 1883 reorganized it as the Butler Hard 

 Rubber Co., with $30o,ooocapital. The 

 factory was located in a New Jersey vil- 

 lage which now became known as But- 

 ler, and the warehouse was at No. 33 

 Mercer street. New York, which con- 

 tinued to be Mr. Butler's business head- 

 quarters until the spring of 1898. At 

 that time the Butler Hard Rubber Co., 

 the India Rubber Comb Co., and the 

 Goodrich Hard Rubber Co. were 

 merged into a new corporation known 

 as the American Hard Rubber Co., with 

 $2,500,000 capital. The old offices of riohari 



the India Rubber Comb Co., No. 11 Mercer street, became the 

 headquarters of the new company, and Fritz Achelis, of the 

 Rubber Comb company, its president and active head. Mr. 

 Butler was elected vice president of the consolidated company* 

 which position he retained until about two years ago, when he 

 retired from all business. 



Mr. Butler was one of the founders and a trustee of the Met- 

 ropolitan Museum of Art, a member of the Chamber of Com- 

 merce, and a life member of the New England Society. He 

 was secretary of the committee for the erection of Bartholdi's 

 statue of Liberty on Bedloe's island, and he achieved the suc- 

 cess of the undertaking after twelve years of hard work. The 

 French government for his services made him a chevalier of 

 the Legion of Honor. He served eight years on the staff of 



• From Myer DUtenhoefer, now president of the Vulcanized Rubber Co. Mr. 

 Dittenhocfer organized the company referred to, in 1S76, in connection with Solo- 

 mon S. Sonneborn. This was not Mr. Butler's first interest in rubber, by the way. 

 His firm, while Itnown as Cary, Howard & Sanger, were the largest dealers in 

 ** shirred " or "corrugated " rubber goods in the United States, and were sued 

 at one time by Horace H. Day for alleged violation of certain rights which he 

 claimed under an old license from Charles Goodyear to manufacture goods of this 

 class. It may be added that the original building of the plant acquired by Mr. But- 

 ler was first used by Horace H. Day as a rubber factory, early in the latter's con- 

 nection with the industry. 



General Ward in the First brigade of the New York state mil- 

 itia, and was appointed captain and subsequently major. He 

 was a generous patron of art and at one time had one of the 

 finest galleries of paintings in the country, mostly the work of 

 American artists. He was a member of the Union League Club 

 and chairman of the art and house committees, and had been 

 one of its vice presidents. He also belonged to the Century 

 Association. Grolier Club, Racquet Club, the Ohio Society, the 

 Metropolitan Academy of Design, and the Mendelssohn Glee 

 Club. 



Mr. Butler was married twice. His first wife was Miss Clough, 

 by whom he had three daughters. Of these two survive — Mrs. 

 George Glaenzer, and a younger daughter, who was married 

 last year in Massachusetts. A third daughter married Chester 

 Hasbrouck, of New York, and died some years ago. Mr. But- 

 ler was a widower for some years, and married a second time 

 five years ago. His second wife was 

 Mrs. H. A. Hascall. 



Richard Butler had a younger 

 brother, named Cyrus, who also became 

 connected with the firm of Cary & Co., 

 in time as a partner, but left it to en- 

 gage in another business and died sev- 

 eral years ago. Their sister, who was 

 adopted by William H.Cary, taking his 

 family name, and becoming his hpir, 

 survives. ^^, 



Funeral services were held at the Coir 

 legiate church. Forty-eighth street and 

 Fifth avenue. New York, on Friday 

 morning. November 14, at 11 o'clock. 

 The interment was private. 



In all of his business relations Mr. 

 Butler was a man respected for his 

 strict integrity and for quick and wise 

 decisions.! JHe was a strong man in 

 every sense, and, what is rare with 

 BUTLER. strong characters, was universally 



loved. Of fine appearance and courtly manner, he was the 

 typical New York business man, and at home, in business cir« 

 cles, or at the most exclusive of the metropolitan clubs, bore 

 himself ever with grace and dignity. He was successful in busi- 

 ness, and, as a rubber manufacturer, exerted an important in- 

 fluence in the industry. 



* * 

 Mr. Samuel Nor is, who died on November 17 at his 

 residence at Bristol, Rhode Island, was the father of Samuel 

 Norris, Jr., secretary of and counsel for the United States 

 Rubber Co. Mr. Norris was born in Boston in 1827, being 

 the son of Captain John Norris, a merchant sea captain. He 

 became an expert in the manufacture of firearms, and during 

 the civil war supplied many guns for the United States army. 

 Later he went to Europe where, for several years, he repre- 

 sented E. Remington & Sons, making large contracts with 

 foreign governments for the sale of their rifles. He was pre- 

 sented to the emperor of Austria, and was decorated with 

 the Spanish order of Isabella. He introduced wood paving 

 in London, Paris, and Budapest. He took pride in having 

 been among the first to appreciate the merit of the Manser 

 rifle, having met and encouraged the inventors in Austri%< 



