Dr. Buttolph was born in Dutchess County, New York, and received his medical education at Berkshire Medical College, graduating in 1836. For a short time, he practiced medicine in Dutchess County and then moved to Litchfield County, Connecticut, where he remained for five years.
In 1842, he applied for a position at the Utica (New York) State Lunatic Asylum and became assistant to Dr. Brigham. In 1847, he was elected Superintendent of the New Jersey State Lunatic Asylum at Trenton and, before entering his duties, visited many asylums in Great Britain, France, and Germany. He remained superintendent for 29 years. In 1876, he became superintendent of an asylum in Morristown, N.J., resigning in 1885, due to a legislative act that made the administration of the institution dual in character. He retired to private life in Short Hills, New Jersey.
Dr. Buttolph received an honorary degree from Princeton in 1872 and wrote extensively about the care of the insane. He was President of the Association of Medical Superintendents of American Institutions for the Insane (1886–1887).