Major Archibald Butt

1st class passenger Major Archibald Butt was more influential than he was wealthy.  During his life, he grew up in poverty in Georgia during the Reconstruction Era and made himself successful through determination.  He was a reporter/journalist/correspondent for multiple newspapers and Army officer.  By 1912, "Archie" (as he was known to his friends) had achieved the rank of Major and was a military aide to President Taft.  He was on leave returning home from delivering a message to the Pope from the President and when the Titanic sank, Archie never made any attempt to get a place in one of the lifeboats from the Boat Deck.  There are many reports of his bravery during the sinking and he sadly didn't survive.

Above are photographs taken during Archie's time with President Taft.  In many photos of Taft's day to day life, Archie is typically not far away.  Taft trusted and confided in him and Archie made sure things ran smoothly around him.

Above is a 1912 edition of "Both Sides of the Shield," a novel Archie wrote which was published first in 1906.  When he died in 1912, the J.B. Lippincott republished his book in his memory and got his good friend President Taft to write the forward, expressing his thoughts about Archie's life and heroism.