WILLIAM BUTLER

BUTLER--William J. William J. Butler died peacefully in his sleep on June 7, 2020, age 96. With his professional contributions spanning over half a century, his name has become synonymous with Human Rights. Throughout his career, he epitomized the traits of the quintessential human rights lawyer - courage, creativity, and tenacity. Mr. Butler was a veteran of World War II, where he survived the bombing of his ship during the invasion of Normandy. He completed his undergraduate studies at Harvard University (1946) and received his law degree from New York University (1949). In 1945, he met and married Jane Hays, whose father was the noted civil liberties attorney, Arthur Garfield Hays. After law school, Mr. Butler was Staff Counsel to the American Civil Liberties Union, where he worked closely with Roger Baldwin, the organization's founder. Over the course of a distinguished legal career, Mr. Butler twice argued and won landmark civil liberties cases before the United States Supreme Court: Kent v. Dulles - 1958, "the passport case" and Engel v. Vitale - 1962, "the school prayer case". Mr. Butler was best known for his long association with the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ), where he served as Chairman of the Executive Committee and as founder and President of the American Association of the International Commission of Jurists. On behalf of the ICJ, he led numerous human rights missions (Iran, Philippines, Guatemala, Palau, South Africa, Uruguay). He represented the ICJ at the Rome Conference establishing the International Criminal Court. Beginning in 1977, for more than 35 years, Mr. Butler convened annual meetings of the principal human rights officials of Western governments. He hosted those meetings in participating countries to discuss issues of common concern. In 2000, Mr. Butler was named the UN High Commissioner's Special Regional Advisor on Human Rights for North America. In 2001, he convened a worldwide meeting of experts which resulted in the issuance of The Princeton Principles on Universal Jurisdiction. Mr. Butler was co-founder of the Arthur Garfield Hays Civil Liberties Program at NYU Law School, and founder of the Urban Morgan Institute for Human Rights at the University of Cincinnati College of Law. The Urban Morgan Institute established the William J. Butler Human Rights Medal, the first of which was awarded to Mary Bourke Robinson, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, on March 9, 2000. William Butler served on many other distinguished boards and committees, among them the Urban Affairs Commission of the American Jewish Congress, the New York Civil Liberties Union, the International League for Human Rights, the League to Abolish Capital Punishment, and the human rights committee of the World Peace through Law Center in Geneva. He was the founder of the Center for the Independence of Lawyers and Judges. Personally, Bill Butler was very energetic. He truly celebrated life with his wife, Janie, exploring the world together and actively participating in and supporting the arts in New York City. He was a lifelong lover of the outdoors and planned many family trips including camping, hiking, sailing and skiing. He was engaging with everyone, with a twinkle in his eye and clever sense of humor. Mr. Butler is survived by his son Arthur Hays (Dr. Judith Childs) Butler and daughter Patricia (John) Whitehill; grandchildren Caitlin (Max Robitzsch) Butler, Sean (Emily) Butler and Cassandra (Zachary) Breneman; great-grandchildren Owen Hays Butler and Sophia Jane Breneman. He is also survived by his sister, Ellen Bierbower, and a number of nieces, nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews. He was preceded in death by his wife, Jane Hays Butler (2016). There was a private burial in Lowell, Mass next to his beloved wife. The family preference for memorial contributions is to support civil liberties through the New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU).