Born in Woodstock, Ontario, Ross Butler was a direct descendant of notorious United Empire Loyalist Colonel John Butler and a self-taught artist who made a lasting impression on the agricultural and art communities in Canada and the United States. Butler was commissioned by the Ontario government in the 1930s to paint true types of North American livestock breeds to be used for agricultural education and breeding purposes-the largest commission ever awarded to a Canadian painter. Similar commissions were forthcoming from the Percheron Breeders Association of America, which led to his appearance at state and agricultural fairs throughout the USA, including the California State Fair at Pomona where he was heralded as the greatest farm animal painter in the world by the Mayor of Los Angeles. His large canvas Royal Review has been valued at over one million dollars. Butler's theories of animal proportion also significantly influenced agricultural scientists at the University of Guelph and other agricultural colleges in North America. He founded The Oxford Breeding Unit, the first full-breed artificial insemination unit for cattle.