John Butterfield, Baron Butterfield

John Butterfield, by Mark Gerson, 1982

William John Hughes Butterfield, Baron Butterfield Kt OBE FRCP (28 March 1920 – 22 July 2000) was a leading British medical researcher, clinician and administrator.

He was educated at Solihull School, an historic independent school in the West Midlands. Whilst at Solihull he was Head Boy, Head of CCF and captain of rugby, cricket, hockey and athletics. Following studies at Oxford, he benefited from a two-year Rockefeller Foundation Scholar grant to study at Johns Hopkins University, where he gained a further medical degree. After this, national military service awaited him. He spent it as an officer in the Army Physiological Unit and Deputy Director for Scientific Research. He subsequently returned to the United States, to a fellowship at the Medical College of Virginia at Richmond. From these auspicious beginnings his career was on a steady course.

He continued his sporting passions while at Oxford, becoming a triple blue.

Over the years he was appointed to many commissions in the United Kingdom and elsewhere and his prestige was considerable. He was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1953. Among his professional research interests was diabetes mellitus. His appointments included one as Professor of Experimental Medicine at Guy's Hospital. In 1970 his career was boosted considerably when he was invited to accept the position of Vice-Chancellor of the University of Nottingham.

In 1976 he was appointed Regius Professor of Physic at the University of Cambridge, and in 1978 was knighted. That same year he was elected Master of Downing College, Cambridge, where he was a popular figure. Even after retirement from the post, his links with his adopted College persisted and he did what he could to further its interests. The College bar at Downing is named after him. The Mastership of Downing led to a term also as Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge. He was made a life peer in 1988 as Baron Butterfield, of Stechford in the County of West Midlands.

References

• Payne, M.A., 'Presentation of Honorary Fellowship to Professor Sir John Butterfield', in Bulletin of the New York Academy of Medicine vol. 53, n. 10 (December 1987) 907-908
• (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
• BUTTERFIELD, Baron, Who Was Who, A & C Black, 1920–2008; online edn, Oxford University Press, Dec 2012

Academic offices
Preceded by Frederick Dainton	Vice-Chancellor of the University of Nottingham 1971–1975	Succeeded by Basil Weedon
Preceded by Sir Morien Bedford Morgan	Master of Downing College, Cambridge 1978–1987	Succeeded by Peter Mathias
Preceded by Sir Francis Harry Hinsley	Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge 1983–1985	Succeeded by Richard Hume Adrian