John Burton Phillips was born on October 8, 1866 in Holt, Mich. to Silas Henry Phillips and Adelphia Caroline Ferguson. His grandfathers, both paternal and maternal, George Phillips and John Ferguson, were pioneers of Delhi Township (Holt). George Phillips settled in Delhi in 1838 and became Delhi Center's first postmaster in 1848. John Ferguson and George Phillips both held elected office in Delhi Township's early years. John Burton Phillips attended school in Holt all through his childhood.

After leaving Holt in the mid-1880s, he briefly taught at Eastern Indiana Normal University in Muncie, Indiana. In 1885-86, J.B. went off to college at the University of Michigan. He remained at U of M until 1897 when he transferred to Indiana University, graduating with a bachelors degree in 1889. Also in 1889, J.B.'s mother, Adelphia Phillips, died back at home in Holt, Mich. He returned to Indiana to receive his masters degree, with which he graduated in 1891. In 1894 and 1895, J.B. was a graduate student at the University of Michigan, when he again transferred, this time to Albany, New York and graduated with his Ph.D. in political economy, political and social science, and American history from Cornell University in 1897. After graduating from Cornell, Phillips was appointed Assistant Legislative Librarian at the New York State Library in Albany. He was in charge of compiling and indexing laws of the State of New York. In 1899, Dr. Phillips gave a talk on George Washington at Eastern Indiana Normal University, marking the 100th anniversary of Washington's death - the speech received high praise. Around 1900, Phillips traveled the world, as he did frequently. Over the course of his lifetime, Phillips visited England, Scotland, France, Switzerland, and Italy.

By 1902, Dr. Phillips began his career in education at the University of Colorado as a professor of economics and sociology. On July 2, 1903, John Burton Phillips married Mrs. Honora Elder Sherman in Denver, Colorado. During his tenure at the University of Colorado, he took a sabbatical in 1908-1909 to study in Goettingen and Paris. While on faculty at the University of Colorado, Dr. Phillips also served as an acting junior professor of administrative law at the University of Michigan from 1908 to 1911. In 1911, Dr. Phillips made note of the need for the State of Colorado to have a state Tax Commission. Also in 1911, back at home in Holt, Mich., J.B.'s father, Silas Henry Phillips, died. In 1912, Phillips resigned his position at the University and was appointed, with a six year term, to the Colorado State Tax Commission, which was formally established by the state legislature on May 20, 1912. He served as chairman for two years. Phillips, an inaugural member of the commission, remained a member of the tax commission until 1917. After his term on the tax commission, Dr. Phillips was an expert adviser to the National Industrial Conference Board and served as a notable speaker at the New England Tax Conference in New Hampshire in October 1917. He spoke on "Suggestions on the Taxation of Business Corporations." In 1917, Dr. Phillips returned to his alma mater, Indiana University. He was employed as a professor of economics and sociology at Indiana until January 1922. Dr. Phillips was forced to resign his position on the faculty of Indiana University due to ill health.

After his resignation, J.B. and Honora moved to Holt, Mich., to the old Phillips homestead. Dr. Phillips built a new home on the family land where he planned to garden and read, he lived the rest of his days in Holt. Dr. John Burton Phillips died on October 9, 1923 following months of decline in health and after being struck with apoplexy days before his death. Phillips is buried in Holt's Maple Ridge Cemetery. After his death, J.B.'s wife Honora lived almost another thirty years in Holt, dying in 1952. J.B.'s step-mother Lucy died in 1936, thus leaving the family farm land to any living descendant - Honora was the closest relative. During her years in Holt from the mid-1920s to 1952, Honora had the Phillips family farm land platted and sold lots to make a living. The newly-platted neighborhood would consist of the land at the southwest corner of Holt and Aurelius Roads in Holt. The Phillips neighborhood consisted of the streets: Burton, Adelpha, and Phillips. All three road names still exist in Holt, serving as a friendly reminder of the brilliant man whose life began and ended on that very land.