Charles St. John Butler

Painting

NSCDA-TN

Name/Title

Charles St. John Butler

Entry/Object ID

Butler, Charles St. John

Description

Subject is an older caucasian male with blue eyes. He is dressed in a naval uniform with white naval cap.

Artwork Details

Medium

Oil on Canvas

Collection

Tennessee State Museum, 1000 Rosa L. Parks Blvd Nashville, TN 37208

Made/Created

Artist

Eleanor McAdoo WIley, 1876-1977

Date made

1946

Notes

Eleanor McAdoo Wiley was a painter and portraitist. She was born on August 9, 1876, to Edwin Wiley and Mary Catherine McAdoo Wiley. She studied at the University of Tennessee and the Stevens Summer School of Painting. In 1934, she created the Knoxville Art League, the forerunner to today's Knoxville Museum of Art. That year, the Knoxville Public Library commissioned her to paint a series of portraits of notable Tennesseans. In 1946, the state sesquicentennial, saw Eleanor produce a series of portraits of Tennesseans in the military. She was the older sister of Impressionist Anna Catherine Wiley. Eleanor died in 1977 and is buried in Old Grey Cemetery.

General Notes

Note Type

Historical Note

Note

Charles St. John Butler was born on March 1, 1875, in Bristol, Tennessee, to Dr. Matthew Butler and Mary Dulaney Butler. He graduated from Emory and Henry College in 1895. Following in his father's footsteps, Charles graduated with a medical degree from the University of Virginia in 1897 before joining the Navy in 1900 as a lieutenant. He served as the medical officer aboard the USS Albatross sailing in the Pacific, Philippines, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. From 1924 until 1927, he served as the Health Officer of Haiti. He became one of the foremost leaders in tropical diseases in the Navy, ultimately rising to the rank of Rear Admiral. Butler served as the commanding officer of the Naval Medical School in Washington, DC, from 1921-1924 and 1927-1932. In 1932, he was stationed as the head of the US Naval Hospital in Brooklyn, NY, serving until 1935. Afterwards, he commanded the US Naval Supply Depot in Brooklyn until 1936. In 1937, he moved back to DC to command the US Navy Medical Center until his retirement in 1939. In 1899, he married Maria Nordquist, and the pair had 3 daughters. Butler died on October 7, 1944, and is buried in East Hill Cemetery in Bristol.

Created By

[email protected]

Create Date

April 6, 2026

Updated By

[email protected]

Update Date

April 6, 2026