Butt, John, 1929-2002, historian

John Butt B.A, PhD., was a lecturer in the Department of Industrial Administration, Royal College of Science and Technology, from 1957 until 1964 when he became a lecturer in American Economic History at the newly formed University of Strathclyde. He was a senior lecturer from 1975 to 1976 when he was appointed Professor of Economic History. He was Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Social Studies from 1978 to 1984. He was then appointed Vice Principle at the University of Strathclyde in 1988 and retired in the autumn of 1994.

Butt graduated with a BA from the University of London, subsequently gaining a PhD from the University of Glasgow. He joined the Royal College of Science and Technology in 1959 and was appointed to teach general studies with an inter-disciplinary team in the Department of Industrial Administration. The goal was to teach a range of courses including history, philosophy, geography and urban planning, and literature. In 1964, the College was given university status, and five new departments were created - Economics, Politics, Psychology, Administration and Economic and Industrial History. The Scottish College of Commerce merged with the university in 1964 and Butt introduced American Economic History. He was a senior lecturer from 1975 to 1976. Butt succeeded S. G. E Lythe as Professor of Economic History and in this role, he took on a new project – uncovering and writing the History of the University of Strathclyde. This involved case studies of individuals who made an important impact on the legacy of the university: John Anderson, David Livingstone, and Thomas Graham.

Butt served as Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Social Studies from 1978 to 1984 and Deputy Principal in 1986. On the 1st of August 1988 he was appointed Vice Principal.
He was also chairman of the governors of Craigie College, Ayr. He served on the military education committee and the general teaching council. He was elected fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and was a member of the Royal Commonwealth Society.

John Butt served the History Department at Strathclyde for 37 years, and under his management the History Department was granted an A excellence rating by the University Grants Committee. In autumn 1994 Butt retired from the University of Strathclyde. He died on 3 July 2002 at the age of 73.

A selection of publications by John Butt:

• 'Robert Owen, Prince of Cotton Spinners' (1971) (Co-editor)
• 'An Economic History of Scotland 1100-1939' (1975) (Co-author)
• 'A History of the Scottish Cooperative Wholesale Society Ltd' (1981) (Co-author)
• 'Essays in Scottish Textile History' (1987) (Co-editor)
• 'John Anderson’s Legacy. The University of Strathclyde and its Antecedents 1796-1996' (1996)

ISAAR(CPF): International Standard Archival Authority Record for Corporate Bodies, Persons and Families, International Council on Archives (2nd edition, 2003); Rules for the construction of personal, place and corporate names, National Council on Archives (1997).

Written and researched by Madeline Robertson, placement student, and uploaded by Rachael Jones, March 2024