Adorable Story #82: Michael Butler
The Hippie Millionaire
Michael Butler is best known as the producer of the revolutionary musical “Hair,” a defining work of the 1960s counterculture. Despite no prior experience, he was captivated by its revolutionary message and brought it to Broadway, where it became a cultural phenomenon. Michael’s contributions extended beyond theater, as he also contributed to founding many important discotheques in North America and the Talisman Resort on Fire Island.
Table of Contents: Early Life and Family Background / Education / From Chicago to NYC / Hair’s Impact on the 60s Counterculture / Personal Life / Later years
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Early Life and Family Background
Born on November 26th, 1926, Michael Butler came from a wealthy family in Chicago. His father, Paul Butler, was a prominent businessman, and the family had interests in various industries, including paper manufacturing, aviation and horse racing.
The Butler family also owned 5,800 acres outside Chicago, land that is now the village of Oak Brook, Illinois, and they would host polo tournaments, skeet shoots and fox hunts there.
His Anglo-Irish family first arrived in America in 1654. In the early 1800s, his ancestors Asa and Simon Butler were the first American paper makers to make paper for the U.S. Congress. In the 1830s, Oliver Morris Butler built a paper mill on the Fox River in Illinois. In 1841, his brother Julius Wales Butler founded the J.W. Butler Paper Company on State Street in Chicago, IL., the oldest family owned business in Chicago. They also were the largest landowners in Du Page County.
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