Combating Ageism with Science: Robert Butler’s Shaping of the National Institute on Aging

The physician, scholar, and activist Robert Butler devoted much of his life to trying to end ageism in order to create a society that provides older persons with equal rights and opportunities. His passion for fighting ageism led to his becoming the founding director of the National Institute of Aging (NIA) and set the stage for many of its achievements during the past 50 years. This article explores how Butler first became committed to overcoming ageism, how he made a strong case for setting up NIA as a headquarters to combat ageism with science, and how he launched NIA as a multidisciplinary organization that could draw on research, training, and public policy as weapons against ageism. Finally, this article highlights how Butler, through his anti-ageism activities in later life, personified the possibilities he had done so much to make available to older persons through his launch of NIA.