Archibald Butt
American journalist and military officer
Who was Archibald Butt?
Archibald Willingham DeGraffenreid Clarendon Butt (September 26, 1865 – April 15, 1912) was an American Army officer and aide to presidents Theodore Roosevelt and William Howard Taft. Archibald Willingham DeGraffenreid Clarendon Butt was born in Augusta, Georgia, to Joshua Willingham Butt and Pamela Robertson Butt (née Boggs). He was commissioned in the United States Volunteers in 1898 and served in the Quartermaster Corps during the Spanish–American War. After brief postings in Washington, D.C., and Cuba, Butt was appointed military aide to Republican presidents Roosevelt and Taft. He died in the sinking of the British liner Titanic in 1912. His grandfather, Archibald Butt, served in the American Revolutionary War. His great-grandfather, Josiah Butt, was a lieutenant colonel in the 7th Virginia Regiment in 1790 for Norfolk County.
Historical significance
After a few years as a newspaper reporter, he served two years as the First Secretary of the American embassy in Mexico. He was a highly influential advisor on a wide range of topics to both men, and his writings are a major source of historical information on the presidencies.