James Arthur Wellington Foley Butler, 4th Marquess of Ormonde was born on 23 September 1849 and died on 4 July 1943. He was the son of John Butler, 2nd Marquess of Ormonde and Frances Jane Paget.
He was Justice of the Peace in the county of Kent and Deputy Lieutenant in the County Kilkenny. He was the 28th Hereditary Chief Butler of Ireland. Unlike previous generations, he did not live in the family seat of Kilkenny Castle as his son inherited it directly from his uncle. The contents of the castle were sold in 1935 and the castle left neglected.
He married American heiress Ellen Stager (daughter of Gen. Anson Stager of Chicago, Illinois) on 8 March 1887 and had four children:
After they were married the couple were known as Lord and Lady Arthur Butler. Lady Arthur brought a personal fortune upon her marriage of USD $1,000,000, which was the equivalent of approximately £200,000 in 1887. Her father, General Anson Stager was an early pioneer of the use of the Telegraph, and was the chief of U.S. Military Telegraph during the Civil War. McD. Wallace, Carole (15 March 2012). To Marry an English Lord: Tales of Wealth and Marriage, Sex and Snobbery. London: Workman Publishing Company. p. 299.
His ashes lie in Ulcombe, Kent.His son inherited the title from him.