The Edward H. Butler Family played a prominent role in the development of the Niagara Frontier for nearly 100 years (1880 - 1976). Edward H. Butler, Senior published the first edition the Buffalo Evening News on October 11, 1880. Upon his death in 1914, his son, Edward, assumed the role of editor and publisher of the paper. At his death in 1956, his widow, Kate Robinson Butler ran the paper. Shortly after her death in 1975, the paper was sold to Blue Chips Stamps.

Buffalo State College has enjoyed a long relationship with the Butler family. Three generations of members of the Butler Family served as Presidents of the College Council. E. H. Butler Library was named after Edward H. Butler, Senior.

Kate Butler Wickham, daughter of Edward H. Butler, Junior donated her mother's personal correspondence to the library in 1977. In 1976, she donated all correspondence of her grandfather and father covering the period 1880-1956. In 1985, the Buffalo News donated all business correspondence of the Butler Senior and Junior connected to the Buffalo Evening News. In 1987, The Buffalo News donated the "Kirchhofer Papers". Kirchhofer, editor of the News, was in the process of writing a history of the paper when he died suddenly. His research materials and the papers he had taken from the Butler family files (1880-1976) were kept together as a collection.