Frank Osgood Butler

Frank Osgood Butler (April 22 1861 - March 18, 1955) was an American industrialist and polo player.

Early life

Frank Osgood Butler was born in Chicago, Illinois on April 22, 1861. He was the son of industrialist Julius Wales Butler, co-founder with his brother Oliver Morris Butler of the J.W. Butler Paper Company in Chicago in 1841. His mother was Julia Anna Osgood. He had a brother called Julius Fred Butler.

Career

Frank Osgood Butler alongside his father Julius Wales Butler consolidated Butler Paper into one of the largest paper companies in the world. He became known as the "Paper Mountain" for his success as a paper tycoon.

In the 19th century Julius Wales Butler began buying land outside of Chicago. Frank Osgood Butler continued purchasing land after he settled in Hinsdale, Illinois. These property holdings would later become the village of Oak Brook, Illinois.

In 1910 he and his wife Fanny began wintering in Palm Beach, Florida. They built a house on Via Bethesda, and at one time owned all of the land on the Via Bethesda block, later donating part of the land for the building of Bethesda-by-the-Sea Episcopal Church and the Cluett Memorial Garden. Frank Osgood Butler was one of the founder members of the Everglades Club. He was also a member of the Cercle de l'Union interalliée, the Chicago Historical Society and the General Society of Colonial Wars.

F.O. Butler was also a resident of Hot Springs, South Dakota, owning a Chinese style pavilion house there. He created the F.O. Butler Foundation as a trust with South Dakota State University.