Jim Butterworth was appointed Director of the

Georgia Emergency Management Agency The Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency or GEMHSA is the emergency management agency for the U.S. state of Georgia. Its function is similar to that of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in preparing for and respon ...

by Governor

Nathan Deal John Nathan Deal (born August 25, 1942) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 82nd governor of Georgia from 2011 to 2019. He was elected to the United States House of Representatives as a member of the Democratic Party in 1992 a ...

in January 2015. Previously, Butterworth served as the

adjutant general An adjutant general is a military chief administrative officer. France In Revolutionary France, the was a senior staff officer, effectively an assistant to a general officer. It was a special position for lieutenant-colonels and colonels in staf ...

(TAG) of the

Georgia National Guard The Georgia National Guard is the National Guard of the U.S. state of Georgia, and consists of the Georgia Army National Guard and the Georgia Air National Guard. (The Georgia State Defense Force is the third military unit of the Georgia Depa ...

Early life and education

Butterworth is a graduate of the

University of Georgia , mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things." , establ ...

, where he earned a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University o ...

degree in

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...

, and was active in Air Force ROTC. He was named "AFROTC Cadet of the Year" two of his four years at Georgia.

Early career

Butterworth was appointed by Governor Deal to adjutant general and promoted to the state rank of major general. Prior to his appointment, the highest rank he attained was captain. He was never recognized by the U.S. Air Force as a general officer nor rank above major though he continued to refer to himself as a Major General. During his time as adjutant general, Butterworth had numerous complaints filed against him. One complaint was substantiated for improperly using Blackhawk helicopters to deliver a game ball to his former high school. Butterworth was forced to reimburse the government for the use of the helicopter. In April 2015, the State of Georgia settled a whistleblower lawsuit filed against him for ethical misconduct. The plaintiff was awarded $480,000.

Political career

Butterworth previously served as the chairman of the

Habersham County, Georgia Habersham County is a county located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 43,041. The county seat is Clarkesville. The county was created on December 15, 1817, and named for Colonel ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Butterworth, Jim Republican Party Georgia (U.S. state) state senators National Guard (United States) officers Year of birth missing (living people) Living people People from Habersham County, Georgia University of Georgia alumni 21st-century American legislators 21st-century Georgia (U.S. state) politicians