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

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.