Major General Jim Butterworth

Adjutant General, Georgia National Guard

Major General Jim Butterworth is the Adjutant General of Georgia. In this position, he reports directly to the Governor with responsibility for over 14,000 personnel of the Georgia Department of Defense which includes the Georgia Army National Guard, the Georgia Air National Guard, and the Georgia State Defense Force.

General Butterworth’s military assignments have included pilot training at Columbus Air Force Base, Miss.; time as a T-38 Pilot Instructor; service at Dover, Del., as a C-5 A/B pilot; and service in Georgia’s own 116th Bomb Wing as a B-1B aircraft commander and flight lead.

He is a graduate of the University of Georgia and the Air Force R.O.T.C. program at UGA. General Butterworth was named "AFROTC Cadet of the Year" two of his four years at Georgia. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science.

In addition to a public service record that spans almost a decade, Gen. Butterworth has also flown as a pilot for Delta Air Lines. He has just completed service as a State Senator representing the 50th District. While in the Georgia Senate, General Butterworth served as the Chairman of the Higher Education Committee and Vice Chairman of the Banking and Financial Institutions Committee. He was a member of the Appropriations Committee and also the Natural Resources and Environment committee; additionally, he served as an ex-officio member of the Economic Development and State and Local Governmental Operations committees. 

In 2010 he was appointed as a Floor Leader for Governor Nathan Deal. During that service in the Senate, he led the charge for Governor Deal’s HOPE Scholarship reform effort.

Prior to his election to the Senate, Gen. Butterworth served as chairman of the Habersham County Board of Commissioners. During his time as a County Commissioner and Chairman of the Board, he negotiated a 25-year water contract providing the county with an additional three million gallons of water every day. He also helped successfully pass a Special Local Option Sales Tax to finance transportation, economic development, recreation and natural resource improvements.  

To further his goal of bringing local governments together and improving infrastructure across Habersham County and Northeast Georgia, Gen. Butterworth has served as an executive board member of several organizations, including the Georgia Mountains Regional Development Center, the All-Hazards Council, and the Georgia DCA Regional Advisory Committee. General Butterworth has recently been chosen to participate in the 2011-2012 class of Leadership Georgia.

Originally from Habersham County, Gen. Butterworth and his family are members of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Clarkesville. He and his wife Amy have four children: Blake, Claire, Jack and Cate.

IMAGES:

Click HERE to see images of Maj. Gen. Jim Butterworth

VIDEOS:

• Adjutant General, state officials help Georgia troops battle high unemployment

• 375th National Guard Birthday: Complete Remarks

• State Senator Butterworth Interview with Jill Becker on 11-Alive regarding the HOPE scholarship

SPEECHES:

• TAG Change of Command Remarks

IN THE NEWS:

• Adjutant General sets leadership priorities for the Georgia Department of Defense

• Georgia's Adjutant General: Proposed Defense cuts shouldn't affect Georgia National Guard

• Georgia Secretary of State, Adjutant General promote voting initiatives for Georgians overseas

• ANG Leadership and Congressman view J-STARS in action

• J-STARS was integral to NATO success in Libya

• Georgia National Guard’s new adjutant general visits the troops

• Carrying forward a legacy: Georgia National Guard Center marks change of command

• Georgia welcomes 41st adjutant general

• Incoming Adjutant General visits Cobb County Board of Commissioners

• Incoming Adjutant General of Georgia begins work on smooth transfer of responsibility

• Gov. Deal appoints Butterworth as new Adjutant General