Butterfield, G. K. (George Kenneth), 1947-

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George Kenneth Butterfield Jr. (born April 27, 1947) is an American politician serving as the U.S. Representative for North Carolina's 1st congressional district since 2004.

Butterfield was born and raised in the then- segregated city of Wilson, North Carolina. He graduated from Charles H. Darden High School in Wilson and went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts in political science and sociology from North Carolina Central University (NCCU), a historically black university. During his junior year at NCCU, Congressman Butterfield was drafted into the United States Army and was stationed at Fort Bragg Army installation in Fayetteville, North Carolina. He served from 1968 to 1970 and was later honorably discharged from the Army and returned to NCCU to complete his undergraduate degree. Following completion of his bachelor's degree, Butterfield attended he NCCU School of Law where he received a Juris Doctor degree in 1974.

After completing law school, Congressman Butterfield began a 14-year legal career as a civil rights attorney practicing across eastern North Carolina. In 1988, Butterfield was elected as a Resident Superior Court judge. Beginning on January 1, 1989 and for the next twelve years, he presided over civil and criminal court in 46 counties of North Carolina. In February 2001, he was appointed to the North Carolina Supreme Court by Governor Mike Easley. In 2002, Butterfield lost his seat on the Supreme Court but returned to the Superior Court bench by special appointment of Governor Easley and served in that position until his retirement in May 2004 to run for the US House of Representatives. Butterfield was first elected to the House of Representatives in a special election on July 20, 2004, to fill the seat of Frank Ballance, who resigned. He assumed office on July 21, 2004 and remains in the seat.

Archival Resources
Role Title Holding Repository
creatorOf G. K. Butterfield Papers, 1942-2021 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library
referencedIn Behind the Veil: Documenting African-American Life in the Jim Crow South Records, 1940-1997 and undated, (bulk 1993-1997) David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library
referencedIn Records of the National Park Service, 1785 - 2006. Legislative Files, ca. 2010 - 1/3/2016 National Archives Library, National Archives Records Administration
referencedIn Records of the Office of the Counsel to the President (Clinton Administration), 1993 - 2001. Sarah Wilson's Files, 1998 - 2000 William J. Clinton Presidential Library & Museum
Role Title Holding Repository
Relation Name
associatedWith Behind the Veil Project Oral History Project corporateBody
alumnusOrAlumnaOf North Carolina central university corporateBody
alumnusOrAlumnaOf North Carolina Central University. School of Law corporateBody
memberOf North Carolina. Supreme Court corporateBody
memberOf United States. Army corporateBody
memberOf United States. Congress. House person
Place Name Admin Code Country
Fort Bragg NC US
Durham NC US
Wilson NC US
Subject
Occupation
Jurists
Lawyers
Representatives, U.S. Congress
Soldiers
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Person

Birth 1947-04-27

Male

Americans

English

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