Richard Butler

Sir Richard Butler (3 December 1850 – 28 April 1925) was an Australian politician. He was a member of the South Australian House of Assembly from 1890 to 1924, representing Yatala (1890–1902) and Barossa (1902–1924). He served as Premier of South Australia from March to July 1905 and Leader of the Opposition from 1905 to 1909. Butler would also variously serve as Speaker of the House of Assembly (1921–1924), and as a minister under Premiers Charles Kingston, John Jenkins and Archibald Peake. His son, Richard Layton Butler, went on to serve as Premier from 1927 to 1930 and 1933 to 1938.

Early life Richard Butler was born at Stadhampton, near Oxford, England, to Richard Butler, père and his wife Mary Eliza, née Sadler. He had a younger sister, Mary. Richard and Mary Eliza emigrated with their two children Mary and Richard to South Australia, arriving in Adelaide on 8 March 1854, following Richard pères brother Philip, who emigrated fourteen years earlier, made a fortune as a pastoralist and landowner, established Mallala sheep station, and built a two-storey homestead on his property Yattalunga station (also spelled "Yatalunga"), near Gawler, then returned to England in December 1857. Richard père took over management of "Mallala" and "Yattalunga", where the growing family (see below) lived until around 1870.

Butler attended St Peter's College, Adelaide. He was a Justice of the Peace before he was 30.

Political career Butler represented Barossa from 3 May 1902 to 4 April 1924.

His ministry was defeated soon after the 1905 election where Labor formed government under Thomas Price and retained government at the 1906 election, relegating Butler to opposition until a year before the 1910 election, when Labor lost government resulting from Price's death. The Liberal and Democratic Union (LDU) insisted on taking the premiership. On 22 December 1909 Butler joined the first Peake LDU ministry as Treasurer and Minister for the Northern Territory, but the ministry was defeated following the 1910 election. Following the 1912 election, Butler was Commissioner of Public Works in the second Peake ministry from 17 February 1912 to 10 November 1914 and Minister of Mines and of Marine from 17 February 1912 to 3 April 1915. Their children were: Matilda Mary Butler (born 30 July 1850; died young) Edith Lucille Butler (8 March 1852 – ) married Prof. Charles Henry Pearson on 10 December 1872. Alice Isabel Butler (23 December 1853 – ) Millicent Lecette Butler (10 August 1855 – ) Charles Philip Roe Butler (15 April 1857 – ) He had three further children in England: a son on 15 February 1859 and twins in November 1862.