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Henry Anson Buttz (1835-1920) was the fourth president of Drew Theological Seminary, later Drew University. Buttz attended New Brunswick Theological Seminary and the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University), where he attained an A.B. in 1858 and an M.A. in 1861. He had nine pastoral appointments, including one at the Morristown Methodist church, until he came to Drew in 1868. He was soon named professor of Greek and New Testament exegesis. Buttz was one of "the Great Five" revered professors who led Drew for decades. Upon President Hurst's departure in 1880, Buttz was elected to the seminary's presidency. For thirty-two years, Buttz improved the small endowment Drew had and oversaw the construction of five buildings on campus, including the Cornell Library, an Administration Building and Chapel (now Seminary Hall), and S.W. Bowne Refectory (now Hall). Although he resigned the presidency to a younger generation in 1912, Buttz continued as professor until 1918. Buttz is buried in Hancock Cemetery in nearby Florham Park, New Jersey.
Scope and Content Note
The records and papers of Henry Anson Buttz span the years between 1881 and 1920. The bulk of the records are from 1880 to 1912. Correspondence within the collection relates to fundraising and the day to day tasks of running a theological school. Buttz was in frequent contact with the seminary's treasurer, James W. Pearsall, and another trustee, William White. Correspondence with the latter in 1893 includes references to Mr. William Hoyt and Mr. Samuel W. Bowne's plans for a new dormitory (now Hoyt-Bowne Hall) and a 15 July 1894 letter addressing sadness at the death of Isabel (a daughter?).
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