BIO: George C. BUTZ, Centre County, PA Contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by JO Copyright 2010. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/centre/ http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/centre/1picts/commbios/comm-bios.htm _____________________________________________________________________ Commemorative Biographical Record of Central Pennsylvania: Including the Counties of Centre, Clearfield, Jefferson and Clarion: Containing Biographical Sketches of Prominent and Representative Citizens, Etc. Chicago: J. H. Beers, 1898. _____________________________________________________________________ PROF. GEORGE C. BUTZ, M.S., assistant professor of Horticulture at Pennsylvania State College, and horticulturist at the Experiment Station, is a young man of marked ability, already known as an expert in his branch of science. The trend of his genius may be attributed to hereditary influences, as his father, the late Paul Butz, a native of Basel, Switzerland, was distinguished for his skill as a florist and horticulturist as well as for fine artistic taste in landscape gardening. Paul Butz was born April 25, 1821, and came to America at the age of thirty, locating at New Castle, Penn., where his death occurred April 5, 1894. The extensive nurseries which he established there are still conducted by his sons. His trade in trees of all kinds, and in other departments of the nursery business, was very large, bulbs and plants from the garden being sent to all of the United States and Canada. Many wealthy men of refined taste availed themselves of his practical advice in the arrangement of their grounds, the estate of Gov. Tod, at Youngstown, Ohio, being one among those which were beautified according to his designs. The Professor's mother, whose maiden name was COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 465 Margaret Wiegand, was born in Wurtemburg, Germany, November 11, 1831, and at the age of ten crossed the Atlantic with her parents, who settled at Allegheny, Penn. Her father, a cabinet maker by trade, was killed by accident soon after his arrival; her mother died in 1883 at the advanced age of eighty-three. Mrs. Butz is still living at the old home in New Castle. Of fourteen children, two died in infancy; the others are: William Tell, who succeeded his father in business, and with another brother now conducts the Croton Gardens at New Castle; John M., a trusted employee of the Pennsylvania Railroad Co., stationed at Lawrence Junction, Ashtabula division; Caroline, who is at home; Emma and Mary A. (twins), both at home, the former being a successful teacher in the schools there; Frank P., now associated with his brother William in the nursery business; George C., the subject of this sketch; Maggie E., a graduate of New Castle High School, at present teaching in the primary department of the public schools of that town; Effie, a graduate of Edinburg Normal School, and a teacher in the New Castle schools; Albert E., who was graduated from Curry University at Pittsburg, and is now employed in that city as a mechanical draughtsman; Rosa S., a high school graduate, now stenographer for the Mercantile Bank at Pittsburg; and Harry E., a student at Western University, Allegheny. Prof. George C. Butz was born February 1, 1863, and was reared at the old home in New Castle, preparing for college, in the high school there. In 1880 he entered the sophomore class at State College, taking the general scientific course, and graduating in 1883. In 1884-85 he taught in the Preparatory Department, pursuing at the same time a post- graduate course in botany and zoology, and he then started upon an extensive tour for the purpose of studying the flora of the United States. A year was spent in Southern California, and during this time he did some excellent work in landscape gardening, with which he had been familiar from boyhood, laying out one estate of 1600 acres, and making artistic use of flowers, ornamental trees and shrubs, fruit trees, olives and other means of adornment, natural and artificial. On his return to Pennsylvania, in July, 1887, he accepted the position of horticulturist at the Experiment Station. In 1894 he was appointed assistant professor of horticulture in the Pennsylvania State College. In 1888 his Alma Mater conferred upon him the well-merited degree of Master of Science. In 1892 Prof. Butz was married to Miss Emma Robinson, a native of Centre county - born at Hecla Furnace, February 18, 1866. They have two children, Gerald R. and Charles A. The Professor and his wife are members of the Presbyterian Church, in which he is an elder. As a citizen he takes generous interest in all the movements of the time, and in political faith is a Democrat. The town of State College was organized into a borough August 29, 1896, at which time our subject was elected a member of the council and president of the same. In the spring of 1897 he was re-elected to that position, although the town is strongly Republican.