Norman Butler (polo)

Norman Butler
Norman Butler in St Moritz, 1972
Born(1918-12-02)December 2, 1918
DiedOctober 8, 2011(2011-10-08) (aged 92)
Education
OccupationsPolo player, horse breeder
Spouses
Pauline Winn
​
​
(m. 1948; div. 1958)​
Penelope Dewar
​
​
(m. 1959; div. 1977)​
Gabriella Gröger
​
(m. 1981)​
Children6

Norman de Butler (December 2, 1918 – October 8, 2011) was an international polo player raised and educated in England and Europe, and who lived most of his life in Europe. He was also a thoroughbred race horse owner and breeder in Europe, where he won several classic races including the Irish 1,000 Guineas, Pretty Polly Stakes and Irish St. Leger.

Early life and education

Butler was born on December 2, 1918.

He was raised in England, France and Italy, and attended Hodder Place, Downside School and Stonyhurst College in Lancashire, England. He later studied Modern Greats at Oriel College, Oxford University.[1]

Polo and horse racing

He played polo internationally in England, Argentina and the United States, notably on teams including Maharaj Prem Singh, Cecil Smith, Rao Raja Hanut Singh, Winston Frederick Churchill Guest, Freddie Guest and Lord Brecknock, as well as playing opposite Prince Philip at Cowdray Park and Guards Polo Club.[2][3][4]

In 1962 he bought Kilboy House in County Tipperary, Ireland from the Dunalley family as a winter home and base for his thoroughbred stables.[5][6][7][8] He also owned Athgarvan Lodge, in County Kildare, which had been used by George IV, and which he bought for a then record £490,000 for a stud farm in Ireland.[9] As a thoroughbred breeder in 1972 he won the classic Irish 1,000 Guineas and the Irish St. Leger as well as the Pretty Polly Stakes with his horse Pidget, trained by Kevin Prendergast and ridden by the jockeys T. P. Burns, Bill Williamson and Wally Swinburn.

Other notable horses included Pabui (winner of the 1974 Criterium di Roma at Capanelle) and Kilboy. He purchased several horses from the Aga Khan IV, including Emali.[10][11] His horses raced in Ireland, England, Italy and France. He also worked with Vincent O'Brien and John Magnier among others.[12] He later sold Kilboy House to Tony Ryan, founder of Ryanair.[5]

Personal life

In 1948 he married Pauline Katharine Winn (1920-1974) at Caxton Hall, Westminster, daughter of Lady Baillie and the Hon. Charles John Frederick Winn (son of Rowland Winn, 2nd Baron St Oswald), of Leeds Castle in Kent.[13][14][15][16][17] They divorced in 1958. They had two children together, Sandra Butler (born 1949) and Paget Butler (born 1953).[18][19][20][21][22]

In 1959 he married in Perth, Scotland his second wife, the Hon. Penelope Dewar (1935-2023), daughter of Lord Forteviot, owner of Dewar Whiskies in Scotland.[23][24][2] They divorced in 1977. They had three children together, Paul Butler (1960 - 1988), Tiggy Butler (born 1961) and Sean Butler (born 1963).[25][26][27][28][29][30][21]

In 1981 he married at Kensington and Chelsea Register Office his third wife Baroness Gabriella Gröger von Sontag (1945-2012), fashion editor of German Vogue, daughter of a German banker and Director of the Dresdner Bank.[31][2] They had one son together, Patrick de Butler (born 1986).[32][30][21]

He was a member of Buck's Club and a life member of the Corviglia Club.[33][34]

He died at the age of 92 on October 8, 2011.[35]

References

  1. ↑ "President Roosevelt Sets Sail For US 1940". RTE. June 1, 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 Whitfield, Kay (March 27, 2016). "The Butlers of Oak Brook, Six". Classic Chicago Magazine. Retrieved January 16, 2019.
  3. ↑ "Norman Butler invites Prince Philip for polo". The Miami Herald. May 5, 1958. p. 20 – via newspapers.com.
  4. ↑ "Norman Butler London social set and polo with Prince Philip". Daily News. June 10, 1959. p. 563 – via newspapers.com.
  5. 1 2 "Huge blaze at home of airline founder's son but extensive art collection saved". Irish Independent. March 5, 2005. Retrieved August 14, 2024.
  6. ↑ "The Cottage Door | Modern British & Irish Art Day Auction | 2023".
  7. ↑ "Hon. Mr. and Mrs. Norman Butler Kilboy hunt". Irish Independent. April 22, 1967. p. 7 – via newspapers.com.
  8. ↑ "Norman Butler and Penny Butler buy Kilboy from Lord Dunalley". The Tatler and Bystander. November 7, 1962. p. 21.
  9. ↑ "Norman Butler sells stud farm in Ireland". Irish Independent. September 22, 1978. p. 26 – via newspapers.com.
  10. ↑ "Norman Butler buys Emali from Aga Khan". The Daily Telegraph. December 5, 1957. p. 6 – via newspapers.com.
  11. ↑ "Norman Butler and Penelope Dewar visit Aga Khan". Daily Mirror. June 8, 1959. p. 26 – via newspapers.com.
  12. ↑ "KEVIN PRENDERGAST Three of the best". thefreelibrary.com. Retrieved January 16, 2019.
  13. ↑ "LONDON NUPTIALS FOR PAULitE; WIblbl Relative of Lord Queenborough) Wed to Norman Butler, Son of Chicago Paper Official (Published 1948)". The New York Times. October 29, 1948.
  14. ↑ "Nov 02, 1948, page 10 - The Palm Beach Post at Newspapers.com™". Newspapers.com. November 2, 1948. p. 10.
  15. ↑ "Norman Butler and Pauline Winn wedding in London in 1948, bridesmaid Mrs Charles Sweeny". Evening Standard. October 28, 1948. p. 2 – via newspapers.com.
  16. ↑ "Norman Butler weds Pauline Winn in London". Chicago Tribune. October 29, 1948. p. 31 – via newspapers.com.
  17. ↑ "Mr and MRS Norman Butler attend a party at the Gilbert Millers in New York, 1952". The Tatler and Bystander. January 23, 1952. p. 13.
  18. ↑ "Sandra Butler and T. J. Heise Plan Nuptials April 8 on L.I." New York Times. February 20, 1972. p. 73.
  19. ↑ "Miss Sandra Butler is Married (Published 1972)". The New York Times. April 9, 1972.
  20. ↑ "Marriage of Butler". Daily News. April 9, 1972. p. 117.
  21. 1 2 3 "Marjorie Childress Obituary (2003) - West Palm Beach, FL - The Palm Beach Post". Legacy.com. Retrieved August 14, 2024.
  22. ↑ "Thanksgiving Service". October 27, 2011. Retrieved August 14, 2024.
  23. ↑ "Miss Dewar Bride Of Norman Butler". The New York Times. June 12, 1959. Retrieved January 16, 2019.
  24. ↑ https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-record-norman-butler-and-penelope/197906553/
  25. ↑ "Son to the Norman Butlers (Published 1960)". The New York Times. June 16, 1960.
  26. ↑ "Son to the Norman Butlers', Paul III". Chicago Tribune. January 11, 1961. p. 36 – via newspapers.com.
  27. ↑ "Norman Butler Classiebawn Castle". November 8, 1961. p. 41 – via newspapers.com.
  28. ↑ "Regent's Park properties are the cream of the crop". Financial Times.
  29. ↑ "Tiggy Butler | Architectural Digest | SEPTEMBER 2005".
  30. 1 2 "Butler II, Frank Osgood". Chicago Tribune. Chicago, Illinois, USA. August 31, 2014. p. 28 – via newspapers.com.
  31. ↑ https://archive.nytimes.com/query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage-9802EFD91F3AF932A25753C1A9679D8B63.html
  32. ↑ https://archive.nytimes.com/query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage-9802EFD91F3AF932A25753C1A9679D8B63.html
  33. ↑ Who's Who, What's what and where in Ireland. Geoffrey Chapman Publishers. 1973. ISBN 978-0-225-65887-3.
  34. ↑ "Mr and MRS Norman Butler at London party and St Moritz and the Corviglia club in 1951". The Tatler and Bystander. February 21, 1951. p. 15.
  35. ↑ "The Butlers of Oak Brook, Eight | Classic Chicago Magazine". April 8, 2016.
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