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

BUTTERFIELD, George Kenneth (G.K.), Jr., a Representative from North Carolina; born in Wilson, Wilson County, N.C., April 27, 1947; graduated from Charles H. Darden High School, Wilson, N.C., 1965; B.A., North Carolina Central University, Durham, N.C., 1971; J.D., North Carolina Central University School of Law, 1974; United States Army, 1968-1970; lawyer, private practice; North Carolina resident superior court judge, 1989-2001; North Carolina special superior court judge, 2002-2004; justice of the North Carolina state supreme court, 2001-2002; elected as a Democrat to the One Hundred Eighth Congress, by special election, to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of United States Representative Frank Ballance, and reelected to the nine succeeding Congresses (July 20, 2004-present).

<p>Congressman Butterfield’s roots in Wilson, N.C. taught him the values of hard work and responsibility. His father, Dr. G. K. Butterfield Sr., was a respected dentist and elected official. Dr. Butterfield graduated from Meharry Dental College and practiced dentistry for 50 years in the poor, segregated community of East Wilson. Many of his patients had never received dental services because they were unable to afford care. However, Dr. Butterfield did not turn anyone away because they were unable to pay. To him, access to care was a right for everyone, not a privilege for the few.</p>

<p>Congressman Butterfield’s mother, Addie, was passionate about education. She taught elementary school for 48 years in some of the poorest communities in North Carolina. Mrs. Butterfield was keenly focused on making sure her students learned to read--a right that was denied to many Blacks in the South.</p>

<p>Growing up in the segregated city of Wilson, N.C. gave Congressman Butterfield a front-row seat to the fight for civil rights in the South. In the late 1940s, Dr. Butterfield helped found the Wilson Branch of the NAACP, which was formed to register Black voters in the county. In 1953, Congressman Butterfield’s father became the first African American elected to the city council in Wilson, and the first Black elected official in eastern North Carolina since Reconstruction.</p>

<p>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. A member of the Democratic Party, he was first elected in a special election after the resignation of Frank Ballance.</p>

<p>GK Butterfield was born and raised in the then- segregated city of Wilson, North Carolina. Butterfield came from a prominent African American family with a long history in North Carolina. Both of Congressman Butterfield's parents were mixed race Americans. His maternal grandfather, Joe Davis, was a child of a former slave, Judah Davis, and a white man. Congressman Butterfield's mother, Addie, taught elementary school for 48 years in some of the poorest communities in North Carolina. Mrs. Butterfield was keenly focused on making sure her students learned to read--a right that was denied to many Blacks in the South. Congressman Butterfield's father, Dr. G. K. Butterfield Sr., was an immigrant from Bermuda. As a Graduate of Meharry Dental College, Dr. Butterfield practiced dentistry for 50 years in the poor, segregated community of East Wilson. In the late 1940s, Dr. Butterfield helped found the Wilson Branch of the NAACP, in order to register Black voters in the county. In 1953, Congressman Butterfield’s father became the first African American elected to the city council in Wilson, and the first Black elected official in eastern North Carolina since Reconstruction.</p>

<p>Butterfield graduated from Charles H. Darden High School in Wilson, NC. He 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 time at NCCU, Congressman Butterfield was active in Voter Registration activism, including coordinating voter registration drives in Durham and organizing a student march from the State Capital in Raleigh to the Wilson County Courthouse to draw attention to the importance of voter registration. Following completion of his bachelor's degree, Butterfield attended he NCCU School of Law where he received a Juris Doctor degree in 1974.</p>