General Biography
Archibald Butt was born on September 26, 1865, in Augusta, Georgia. He attended local schools until the age of fourteen, when his father died and he started working to support his mother and four siblings. Reverend Edwin G. Weed, an Episcopalian clergyman, provided Butt with financial support and he attended the University of the South in Tennessee, where his mother worked and lived as a librarian.
In college, he studied journalism and worked as editor of the college newspaper. He also joined the Delta Tau Delta fraternity. He graduated in 1888 and took several graduate courses in Greek and Latin. Then, on a trip to visit a friend in Louisville, Kentucky, he met Henry Watterson, founder of the Louisville Courier-Journal, who hired him as a reporter. Butt worked there for three years, then moved to the Macon Telegraph for a year.
He next moved to Washington, D.C., serving as a national affairs correspondent for southern newspapers, including the Atlanta Constitution, Augusta Chronicle, Nashville Banner, and Savannah Morning News. He became very popular in the city, meeting many prominent politicians, including U.S. Senator Matt Ransom, who became the U.S. Ambassador to Mexico in 1895 and asked Butt to serve as the embassy's First Secretary. He continued to write for American magazines and published novels while in Mexico.
When Ransom's term ended in 1897, Butt returned to the United States. In 1900, he was commissioned as a captain in the United States Volunteers military branch. His family had a long military career and he had always wanted to serve, and was encouraged by Adjutant General of the U.S. Army, Henry Clarke Corbin. He was an assistant quartermaster, leading a transport ship through the Suez Canal to the Philippines. He stayed in the Philippines for several years, writing acclaimed reports on military transportation and logistics. He was also again socially active, serving as secretary of the Army and Navy Club and founding the Military Order of the Carabao.
He returned to Washington, D.C., in 1904 and became depot quartermaster. He was then assigned to run logistical operations in Cuba during the 1906 revolution against Tomás Estrada Palma and was soon named depot quartermaster of Havana.
He again went back to Washington in 1908 and was appointed as a military aide to President Theodore Roosevelt. The president had heard about Butt's skill in the Philippines and Taft had recommended Butt because of their familiarity. As part of his work for Roosevelt, Butt provided companionship to Roosevelt and accompanied him in outdoor and athletic pursuits, including climbing, hiking, horseback riding, running, swimming, and playing tennis. He also revolutionized White House receptions, making them more organized.
Taft became president in 1909 and re-appointed Butt as military aide. He continued working on social events and also became Taft's chief negotiator for federal budget issues. He became publicly known by accompanying Taft to throw out the first ball at the first home game of the D.C. baseball team the Washington Senators in 1910 and 1911. He was promoted to the rank of major in 1911.
He struggled with depression and exhaustion in 1912. Taft's first term was coming to an end and Roosevelt was considering running against him. Butt was loyal to both, which caused him emotional distress. Francis Davis Millet, a friend of Butt with whom he shared a house in D.C., asked Taft to give Butt a leave of absence to recover before the primary season started. Taft agreed and Butt embarked on a six-week vacation in Europe.
Anti-Catholic newspapers in Europe accused Butt of traveling to Europe on a secret mission from the president to win the endorsement of Pope Pius X for the upcoming election. He did meet with Pius and brought him a letter from Taft thanking him for promoting three Americans to the rank of cardinal and asking how to greet those cardinals at functions.
Butt departed from Southampton, England, on the Titanic to return home. His friend and housemate Millet was also on board. The last confirmed sighting of Butt was in the first-class smoking room, playing cards. There were several unconfirmed sensationalist accounts of his behavior during the sinking. According to some of these accounts, Butt was seen acting as an officer supervising the lifeboats after being told by Captain Edward J. Smith that the ship was doomed, herding women and children onto lifeboats, using a gun to stop male passengers from storming the lifeboats in a panic, pulling men from lifeboats so that women could board, and preventing steerage passengers from entering first class areas to escape the sinking ship. None of these accounts, however, are confirmed.
Butt's body was never recovered. His first memorial service was attended by 1,500 people, including President Taft, who gave a speech. At his second, Taft was due to speak but broke down in tears shortly after beginning his speech. Taft also skipped the season-opening Washington Senators game in 1912 out of grief for Butt.
Butt's relationship with Millet is often viewed as homosexual, which James Gifford describes in more detail in the next section.