Henry Anson Buttz was born on April 18, 1835, in Middle Smithfield, Pennsylvania.

He was the fourth president of Drew Theological Seminary, later Drew University. Buttz attended the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University), where he earned an A.B. in 1858 and an M.A. in 1861. He preached at the Morristown Methodist church until he came to Drew Seminary in 1868, where he was soon named professor of Greek and New Testament exegesis. He was one of "the Great Five" revered professors who led Drew for decades. Upon President Hurst's departure in 1880, Buttz was elected to the seminary's presidency. For thirty-two years, he guided a superior faculty and an ever-growing student body. Although he resigned the presidency to a younger generation in 1912, Buttz continued as a professor until 1918.

He married Emily Hoagland (1841-1927). He died on October 6, 1920, in Madison, New Jersey.