Roy Butler
Encyclopedia
Roy Anderson Butler was an American
politician
and businessman, who served as the Mayor of Austin, Texas
, from 1971 until 1975.
Butler was the first Mayor of Austin to be directly elected by city voters. Prior to Butler's election in 1971, Austin's mayors were chosen and appointed by the Austin City Council.
, where he was born on March 31, 1926.
He was the only child of his mother, a homemaker
, and his father, an officer
in the United States Army
.
Butler served in the United States Navy
during World War II
. Following his departure from the U.S. Navy, Butler earned his bachelor's degree
in economics
from the University of Texas in 1948. He attended the University of Texas School of Law
for three years, but left school before earning his law degree
in order to join the automobile
business.
He met his future wife, Ann Showers, on a blind date while at the University of Texas. The couple married six months later.
Butler was described as a close friend of former United States President Lyndon B. Johnson
.
After leaving law school
, Butler opened his first car dealership
located at 45th and Lamar in Austin. The business grew to become the Roy Butler Lincoln-Mercury dealdership. Butler owned the dealership from 1960 until 1976, during which Butler Lincoln-Mercury became the largest Lincoln dealership in Texas
and Oklahoma
at the time.
Butler won the rights to the Coors Beer franchise
in Central Texas
in 1976, beating out approximately 2,200 other applicants. His Coors beer distributor franchise, now called Capitol Beverage, currently distributes more than forty beer brands throughout four Texas counties, as of 2009 - Caldwell County
, Hays County, Travis County and Williamson County
.
Butler co-founded the local branch of Cellular One
, which is now known as AT&T Wireless
. Cellular One was the first cell phone provider in Austin. He also owned two Austin area radio stations, KVET
and KASE-FM
. Under Butler, KVET and KASE-FM expanded into a multi-state radio group, whch Butler sold in 1999.
Former Austin Mayor Bruce Todd credited Butler as one of the developers most responsible for transforming Downtown Austin
. Butler established some of the first, and most important commercial developments in the neighborhood, which eventually attracted new residents and businesses to the area. Butler was responsible for leasing a building he owned at the corner of Sixth and Lamar to both Whole Foods Markets and the GSD&M Idea City ad agency, both of which are headquartered in Austin
. With the addition of another tenant, Book People, Butler's property became an important site which attracted people to downtown Austin.
Butler became the first Mayor of Austin to be directly elected by city voters in 1971, defeating the incumbent Mayor Travis LaRue
65.29% to LaRue's 15%. He was handily re-elected for a second two-year term as Mayor in 1973, receiving almost 44,000 votes. Butler's nearly 44,000 total in 1973 election still holds the record most votes ever cast for any Austin mayoral candidate in history, as of 2009.
Butler expanded and modernized the Austin Police Department
. He also spearheaded efforts to build a nuclear power plant in South Texas and construct the Texas State Highway Loop 1 (MoPac Boulevard) on the west side of Austin. The two proposals brought Butler into political conflict with Austin's environmentalists, who had emerged as a force in the city during the 1960s and 1970s.
During his tenure as mayor, Butler was able to recruit former United States First Lady Lady Bird Johnson
to establish the Town Lake Beautification Committee. Before Butler and Johnson began their work the lake, located in Austin, was in a state of neglect and polluted with trash and overgrown weed
s. KTBC
described Town Lake before Butler's efforts as an "eyesore
". Efforts by Johnson and Butler transformed Town Lake, and the adjoining Lady Bird Lake Hike and Bike Trail, into one of the most important recreation areas in Austin. Town Lake was renamed Lady Bird Lake in 2007.
Contrary to some beliefs, Austin's Butler Park is not named for Roy Butler.
. On August 28, 2009, the Austin City Council and the Austin Crime Commission renamed a police academy
in honor of Butler and his work in support of the police
.
Roy Butler suffered two broken vertebrae in a fall in early November 2009. He was taken to the University Medical Center Brackenridge and listed in critical condition
. Butler died from complications of his injuries approximately one week later on November 13, 2009, at the age of 83.
He was survived by his wife of 61 years, Ann, and three children - Roy Butler Jr., Edward Butler and Beth Granger. As well as his grandchildren: Charles Granger, Louis Granger, Roy Granger, Sheridan Butler and Grant Butler.
Butler's memorial service was held at the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library in Austin on November 19, 2009.
Butler's predecessor as Mayor of Austin, Travis LaRue
, who served as Mayor from 1969 until 1971, died on Saturday, November 14, 2009, just one day after Butler's death.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
and businessman, who served as the Mayor of Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
, from 1971 until 1975.
Butler was the first Mayor of Austin to be directly elected by city voters. Prior to Butler's election in 1971, Austin's mayors were chosen and appointed by the Austin City Council.
Personal life
Roy Butler was a native of Greenville, TexasGreenville, Texas
Greenville is the county seat, and the largest city, of Hunt County, Texas, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 25,557....
, where he was born on March 31, 1926.
He was the only child of his mother, a homemaker
Homemaker
Homemaking is a mainly American term for the management of a home, otherwise known as housework, housekeeping or household management...
, and his father, an officer
Officer (armed forces)
An officer is a member of an armed force or uniformed service who holds a position of authority. Commissioned officers derive authority directly from a sovereign power and, as such, hold a commission charging them with the duties and responsibilities of a specific office or position...
in the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
.
Butler served in the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Following his departure from the U.S. Navy, Butler earned his bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
from the University of Texas in 1948. He attended the University of Texas School of Law
University of Texas School of Law
The University of Texas School of Law, also known as UT Law, is an ABA-certified American law school located on the University of Texas at Austin campus. The law school has been in operation since the founding of the University in 1883. It was one of only two schools at the University when it was...
for three years, but left school before earning his law degree
Law degree
A Law degree is an academic degree conferred for studies in law. Such degrees are generally preparation for legal careers; but while their curricula may be reviewed by legal authority, they do not themselves confer a license...
in order to join the automobile
Automobile
An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
business.
He met his future wife, Ann Showers, on a blind date while at the University of Texas. The couple married six months later.
Butler was described as a close friend of former United States President Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon Baines Johnson , often referred to as LBJ, was the 36th President of the United States after his service as the 37th Vice President of the United States...
.
Business career
Outside of city politics, Butler owned and operated several prolific Austin area businesses.After leaving law school
Law school
A law school is an institution specializing in legal education.- Law degrees :- Canada :...
, Butler opened his first car dealership
Car dealership
A car dealership or vehicle local distribution is a business that sells new or used cars at the retail level, based on a dealership contract with an automaker or its sales subsidiary. It employs automobile salespeople to do the selling...
located at 45th and Lamar in Austin. The business grew to become the Roy Butler Lincoln-Mercury dealdership. Butler owned the dealership from 1960 until 1976, during which Butler Lincoln-Mercury became the largest Lincoln dealership in Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
and Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
at the time.
Butler won the rights to the Coors Beer franchise
Franchising
Franchising is the practice of using another firm's successful business model. The word 'franchise' is of anglo-French derivation - from franc- meaning free, and is used both as a noun and as a verb....
in Central Texas
Central Texas
Central Texas , is a region in the U.S. state of Texas. It is roughly bordered by San Marcos to Fredericksburg to Waco, and to Brenham, and includes the Austin–Round Rock, Killeen-Temple-Fort Hood, Bryan-College Station, and Waco metropolitan areas...
in 1976, beating out approximately 2,200 other applicants. His Coors beer distributor franchise, now called Capitol Beverage, currently distributes more than forty beer brands throughout four Texas counties, as of 2009 - Caldwell County
Caldwell County, Texas
Caldwell County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. It is part of the Austin-Round Rock metropolitan area. In 2000, the population was 32,194. Its county seat is Lockhart...
, Hays County, Travis County and Williamson County
Williamson County, Texas
Williamson County is a county located on both the Edwards Plateau to the west, consisting of rocky terrain and hills, and Blackland Prairies in the east consising of rich, fertile farming land, The two areas are roughly bisected by Interstate 35...
.
Butler co-founded the local branch of Cellular One
Cellular One
Cellular One is the trademarked brand name used by several cellular service providers in the United States and Bermuda. The brand was sold to Trilogy Partners by AT&T in 2008 shortly after AT&T had completed its acquisition of Dobson Communications...
, which is now known as AT&T Wireless
AT&T Wireless
AT&T Wireless Services, Inc., founded in 1987 as McCaw Cellular Communications, Inc., and now legally known as New Cingular Wireless Services, Inc., formerly part of AT&T Corp., is a wireless telephone carrier in the United States, based in Redmond, Washington, and later traded on the New York...
. Cellular One was the first cell phone provider in Austin. He also owned two Austin area radio stations, KVET
KVET
KVET may refer to:* KVET , a radio station licensed to Austin, Texas, United States* KVET-FM, a radio station licensed to Austin, Texas, United States...
and KASE-FM
KASE-FM
KASE-FM is an Austin, Texas radio station operating a Country format. It is licensed to Austin, Texas with an ERP of 100,000 Watts at 100.7 MHz from a transmitter site near West Lake Hills, TX, and is owned by Clear Channel Radio....
. Under Butler, KVET and KASE-FM expanded into a multi-state radio group, whch Butler sold in 1999.
Former Austin Mayor Bruce Todd credited Butler as one of the developers most responsible for transforming Downtown Austin
Downtown Austin
Downtown Austin is the central business district of Austin, Texas. Downtown is located on the north bank of the Colorado River. The approximate borders of Downtown include Lamar Boulevard to the west, 11th Street and sometimes Martin Luther King, Jr...
. Butler established some of the first, and most important commercial developments in the neighborhood, which eventually attracted new residents and businesses to the area. Butler was responsible for leasing a building he owned at the corner of Sixth and Lamar to both Whole Foods Markets and the GSD&M Idea City ad agency, both of which are headquartered in Austin
Austin
Austin is the capital of the U.S. state of Texas.Austin may also refer to:-In the United States:*Austin, Arkansas*Austin, Colorado*Austin, Chicago, Illinois*Austin, Indiana*Austin, Minnesota*Austin, Nevada*Austin, Oregon...
. With the addition of another tenant, Book People, Butler's property became an important site which attracted people to downtown Austin.
Political career
Butler served as a member of the Austin school board for nine years prior to being elected to his first term as Mayor of Austin in 1971.Butler became the first Mayor of Austin to be directly elected by city voters in 1971, defeating the incumbent Mayor Travis LaRue
Travis LaRue
Travis Leldon LaRue was an American politician who served as the Mayor of Austin, Texas, from 1969 until 1971. LaRue was the last Mayor of Austin to be elected by Austin City Council rather than a direct election by city voters.LaRue was elected Mayor by the Austin City Council in 1969, becoming...
65.29% to LaRue's 15%. He was handily re-elected for a second two-year term as Mayor in 1973, receiving almost 44,000 votes. Butler's nearly 44,000 total in 1973 election still holds the record most votes ever cast for any Austin mayoral candidate in history, as of 2009.
Butler expanded and modernized the Austin Police Department
Austin Police Department
Austin Police Department is the principal law enforcement agency serving Austin, Texas, United States. As of Fiscal Year 2010, the agency had an annual budget of more than $240 million and employed around 2,200 personnel, including approximately 1,600 officers...
. He also spearheaded efforts to build a nuclear power plant in South Texas and construct the Texas State Highway Loop 1 (MoPac Boulevard) on the west side of Austin. The two proposals brought Butler into political conflict with Austin's environmentalists, who had emerged as a force in the city during the 1960s and 1970s.
During his tenure as mayor, Butler was able to recruit former United States First Lady Lady Bird Johnson
Lady Bird Johnson
Claudia Alta "Lady Bird" Taylor Johnson was First Lady of the United States from 1963 to 1969 during the presidency of her husband Lyndon B. Johnson. Throughout her life, she was an advocate for beautification of the nation's cities and highways and conservation of natural resources and made that...
to establish the Town Lake Beautification Committee. Before Butler and Johnson began their work the lake, located in Austin, was in a state of neglect and polluted with trash and overgrown weed
Weed
A weed in a general sense is a plant that is considered by the user of the term to be a nuisance, and normally applied to unwanted plants in human-controlled settings, especially farm fields and gardens, but also lawns, parks, woods, and other areas. More specifically, the term is often used to...
s. KTBC
KTBC
KTBC, channel 7, is the Fox owned-and-operated television station in Austin, Texas. Studios are located in downtown Austin at the corner of 10th and Brazos Streets , and its transmitter is located in the city....
described Town Lake before Butler's efforts as an "eyesore
Eyesore
An eyesore is an unpleasant view. Its technical usage is as an alternative perspective to the notion of landmark. Common examples include dilapidated buildings, graffiti, litter, polluted areas and excessive commercial signage such as billboards. Some eyesores may be a matter of opinion such as...
". Efforts by Johnson and Butler transformed Town Lake, and the adjoining Lady Bird Lake Hike and Bike Trail, into one of the most important recreation areas in Austin. Town Lake was renamed Lady Bird Lake in 2007.
Contrary to some beliefs, Austin's Butler Park is not named for Roy Butler.
Later life
Butler was a strong advocate of law enforcementLaw enforcement agency
In North American English, a law enforcement agency is a government agency responsible for the enforcement of the laws.Outside North America, such organizations are called police services. In North America, some of these services are called police while others have other names In North American...
. On August 28, 2009, the Austin City Council and the Austin Crime Commission renamed a police academy
Police academy
A police academy is a training school for new police recruits, also known as a law enforcement academy.-Australia:Larger police departments usually run their own academies. States often run a centralised academy for training of personnel of law enforcement agencies within the state.Police...
in honor of Butler and his work in support of the police
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
.
Roy Butler suffered two broken vertebrae in a fall in early November 2009. He was taken to the University Medical Center Brackenridge and listed in critical condition
Critical Condition
Critical condition is a medical state.Critical Condition may also be:* Critical Condition , an episode of the television series Sex and the City* Critical Condition , a 1987 comedy film...
. Butler died from complications of his injuries approximately one week later on November 13, 2009, at the age of 83.
He was survived by his wife of 61 years, Ann, and three children - Roy Butler Jr., Edward Butler and Beth Granger. As well as his grandchildren: Charles Granger, Louis Granger, Roy Granger, Sheridan Butler and Grant Butler.
Butler's memorial service was held at the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library in Austin on November 19, 2009.
Butler's predecessor as Mayor of Austin, Travis LaRue
Travis LaRue
Travis Leldon LaRue was an American politician who served as the Mayor of Austin, Texas, from 1969 until 1971. LaRue was the last Mayor of Austin to be elected by Austin City Council rather than a direct election by city voters.LaRue was elected Mayor by the Austin City Council in 1969, becoming...
, who served as Mayor from 1969 until 1971, died on Saturday, November 14, 2009, just one day after Butler's death.