Portrait of Richard Austen Butler. Portrait of Richard Austen Butler, or "Rab", was a British Conservative politician. He was one of only two men to have served as Chancellor of the Exchequer, Home Secretary and Foreign Secretary, but never become Prime Minister. Butler's support of the appeasement of Nazi Germany likely limited his political career. It was not until after the war that he became Chancellor of the Exchequer, but he was never to rise above this role. Butler acted as head of the Government when Winston Churchill suffered a stroke in 1953, but when Churchill retired in 1955, the leadership was handed over to Anthony Eden.