John Dixon Butler was born in London, England in 1860 [or 1861 - sources differ] and was articled to his father, John Butler (1828-1900) in London from 1877 to 1881. He also attended University College, London and King's College, London. He commenced practice as an architect in London in 1883 [or 1882 - sources differ].
In 1895 he was appointed Architect and Surveyor to the department of the Metropolitan Police. He subsequently designed some 150 police buildings in the London Metropolitan area. With Richard Norman Shaw (1831-1912) worked on extensions to New Scotland Yard in London from 1904 to 1906.
Butler was elected a Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects (FRIBA) in 1906. He died in Lambeth, London on 27 October 1920.
Numerous police courts includimg at Tower Bridge, Old Street, Great Marlborough Street, Westminster, Greenwich, Woolwich, Clerkenwell, West London, and some 115 police buildings within the area of the Metropolitan Police District.
Directory of British Architects 1834-1914. Compiled by Antonia Brodie, et al. Volume 1: A-K. London; New York: British Architectural Library, Royal Institute of British Architects/Continuum, 2001
Gray, A. Stuart. Edwardian architecture: a biographical dictionary. London: Gerald Duckworth & Co., Ltd., 1985