G. K. Butterfield
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G. K. Butterfield
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office July 20, 2004 |
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| Preceded by | Frank Ballance |
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| Born | April 27, 1947 Wilson, North Carolina |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Children | Valeisha Butterfield Lenai Butterfield |
| Residence | Wilson, North Carolina |
| Alma mater | North Carolina Central University |
| Occupation | attorney, judge |
| Religion | Baptist |
| Military service | |
| Service/branch | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1968-1970 |
George Kenneth Butterfield, Jr. (born April 27, 1947) is a Democratic Party politician. He currently represents North Carolina's 1st congressional district (map) in the United States House of Representatives. The district is located in the northeastern corner of the state.
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[edit] Early life and education
He has black ancestry and, despite his appearance, identifies himself as a black man and not white.[1] Butterfield grew up in a prominent black family in Wilson, North Carolina. Both of his parents had white ancestors.[1] Butterfield's father emigrated to the United States from Bermuda and practiced dentistry in Wilson for fifty years.[citation needed] His mother was a Wilson native[citation needed] and worked as a classroom teacher for 48 years.[2] Butterfield's father was elected to the Wilson City Council in 1953[citation needed] making him one of the the first black officials elected in eastern North Carolina in the 20th century.[2] He was defeated in 1957 following a change in election procedure.[citation needed]
Butterfield graduated Charles H. Darden High School, and later, North Carolina Central University (NCCU) with degrees in Political Science and Sociology.[2] In 1974, he received a Juris Doctor degree from the NCCU School of Law launching his legal career.[2] Butterfield served honorably in the United States Army from 1968 to 1970.[citation needed]
[edit] Political career
In 1988, Congressman Butterfield was elected as Resident Superior Court judge in the first judicial division. For the next twelve years, he presided over civil and criminal court in 46 counties of North Carolina.[2] In February 2001, he was appointed to the North Carolina Supreme Court by Governor Mike Easley.[2] In 2002, Butterfield lost his seat on the Supreme Court but returned to the Superior Court bench by special appointment of Governor Mike Easley and served in that position until his retirement in May 2004.[2]
Butterfield was elected to Congress in a special election on July 20, 2004 to fill the unexpired term of Representative Frank Ballance, who resigned for health reasons. He defeated Republican candidate Greg Dority and Libertarian Party nominee Tom Eisenmenger. Butterfield was sworn into office on July 21, 2004.
On July 20, 2004, Butterfield won the Democratic primary entitling him to run in the November 2004 general election.[citation needed] He again faced Dority and won his first full term with 72% of the popular vote.[citation needed] He was unopposed for reelection in 2006,[citation needed] and beat Dean Stephens in the 2008 general election, 69.9% to 30.1%.[3]
Originally endorsing John Edwards for the presidential primary,[4] in January 2008, Butterfield endorsed Barack Obama for the general election.[5]
In 2009, Butterfield announced that he would introduce the Don't Let the Bedbugs Bite Act, providing federal funding for local housing project authorities to combat bedbugs.[6]
[edit] Committee assignments
- Committee on Energy and Commerce
- Committee on Standards of Official Conduct
- Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe
Butterfield serves on the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, and formerly served on the House Armed Services Committee and the House Agriculture Committee. He is the Region VIII representative on the House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee.
Beginning in the 110th Congress, Congressman Butterfield was appointed by Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Majority Whip, Congressman Jim Clyburn, to serve as one of eight Chief Deputy Whips responsible for helping to formulate Democratic policy and insuring the passage of legislation by maintaining good communication with members.[2].
He is a member of the Congressional Black Caucus.[7]
[edit] Other
He is a member of Jackson Chapel First Missionary Baptist Church in Wilson, North Carolina, where he formerly served as Trustee and Chairman of the Finance Ministry.[2] Butterfield has 2 adult daughters, Valeisha and Lenai.[2]
[edit] References
- ^ a b Washington, Jesse (2008-12-13). "Obama's true colors: Black, white ... or neither?". Associated Press. http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jOBz9sF_F87Lsf3qhCMBSdOGtFQQD951VFE00. Retrieved on 2008-12-14.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "About GK" (html). United States House of Representatives. undated. http://butterfield.house.gov/aboutgk.asp. Retrieved on 2008-11-05.
- ^ "North Carolina Election Results 2008" (html). New York Times. http://elections.nytimes.com/2008/results/states/north-carolina.html. Retrieved on 2008-11-06.
- ^ Butterfield now endorses Obama
- ^ Boyer, Robert (2008-10-12), "Hunt among state Dems stumping for Obama", Times-News, http://www.thetimesnews.com/news/hunt_18596___article.html/obama_state.html
- ^ Cappiello, Dina (2009-04-14), Yikes, bedbugs! EPA looks to stop resurgence, Yahoo News, http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090415/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/bedbug_summit_17
- ^ Congressional Black Caucus
[edit] External links
- Representative G. K. Butterfield official U.S. House site
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Voting record maintained by The Washington Post
- Campaign finance reports and data at the Federal Election Commission
- Campaign contributions at OpenSecrets.org
- Biography, voting record, and interest group ratings at Project Vote Smart
- Issue positions and quotes at On The Issues
- Profile at SourceWatch Congresspedia
- Profile at The News & Observer
- Press release on Butterfield's State Supreme Court appointment
- North Carolina Democratic Party
| United States House of Representatives | ||
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| Preceded by Frank Ballance |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from North Carolina's 1st congressional district 2004 – present |
Incumbent |
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