Searching for Sir John Henry Butters 1885-1969 : engineer, administrator, and company director

Abstract

The originality claimed for this dissertation lies in the analysis of the life of John Henry Butters, 1885-1969, who in the twentieth century played a major role in developing and marketing hydro-electricity in Tasmania; was Chief Commissioner of the Federal Capital Territory at the time of the opening of Parliament House in Canberra in 1927; and, over time, was a director of some twenty companies including General Motors-Holden's [sic], Boral, and Associated Newspapers. The challenge has been to attempt a biography in the absence of diaries and the survival of only one personal letter - hence the title searching for Sir John Butters. The search encompasses both his professional and personal lives. Though British-born, he considered himself Australian. His activities increase our understanding of issues central to the first seventy years of the federated Australian nation, among them industrial development and what this meant for modernity; the links between Tasmania and the federal capital (which have never previously been articulated); and voting rights (or lack thereof). This thesis also examines the under-explored world of middle-to-upper level company directors in both private and government-sponsored enterprises. This, I claim, is a rare study of the life of a company director who was not among the most prominent captains of industry but who, nonetheless, gives a human face to the 'managerial revolution'. Australian historians often place emphasis on workers; a study of Butters provides a capitalist's perspective. Butters is best understood by what he does. Authoritarian and work-oriented, he displayed these characteristics from childhood. While motivated by the existential pleasures of engineering, he was a businessman as much as he was an engineer. To him, administering the Federal Capital Territory was similar to running a company, an outlook shared with his one-time political boss, Prime Minister S.M. Bruce. In the sparse existing literature, Butters is either hailed as a hero or dismissed as a dictator. For all his considerable achievements in Canberra, his most idealistic venture in co-operation encountered opposition. In establishing my point of view, I consider the restrictions on his freedom, especially in the federal capital, arguing that problems arose from the little understood distinction between government and governance and between Territory and State. In the business world, lack of regulation and inexperience caused problems for both directors and shareholders. Working well with all governments he was nevertheless wary of extremism. For democracy and economic management to be more effective, he advocated audits of Australia's resources and also scientific standardisation. Contributing substantially to Australia's development in many fields, he emerges as a progressive. Theoretical observations on hegemony and pluralism and, in particular, Max Weber's work on power and authority, are useful guides to understanding Butters' aspirations and what, at one time, became a toxic situation. The methodology encompassed extensive research into archives; maps; film; family papers and objects; conversations with Butters' family and acquaintances; and field trips. Though a man of few words, Butters was confident that, in the sweep of Australian history, his major undertakings would speak for themselves. Show more