James L. Butler Jr. (born May 10, 1973) is a former

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

member of the

Ohio House of Representatives The Ohio House of Representatives is the lower house of the Ohio General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Ohio; the other house of the bicameral legislature being the Ohio Senate. The House of Representatives first met in ...

, representing the 41st House District, and was Speaker Pro Tempore.

Life and career

Butler received his bachelor's degree in history with honors and distinction from the

United States Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (US Naval Academy, USNA, or Navy) is a federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as Secretary of the Navy. The Naval Academy ...

in 1995, graduating in the top 10% of his class which earned him a spot in flight school. While waiting to begin training he received a master's degree in history from the

University of Maryland The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of M ...

in 1996. Earning his wings in September 1998, he later flew the

F-14 Tomcat The Grumman F-14 Tomcat is an American carrier-capable supersonic aircraft, supersonic, twinjet, twin-engine, two-seat, twin-tail, variable-sweep wing fighter aircraft. The Tomcat was developed for the United States Navy's Naval Fighter Experi ...

as a pilot in the Navy. Following his naval service, Butler attended the

University of Cincinnati The University of Cincinnati (UC or Cincinnati) is a public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded in 1819 as Cincinnati College, it is the oldest institution of higher education in Cincinnati and has an annual enrollment of over 44,00 ...

College of Law, where he served on law review as one of the top students in his class. He was the President of the Dayton Ballet Associate Board from 2008 to 2011; the Dayton Ballet Associate Board works to support the Dayton Ballet. He is a resident of Oakwood, is married to Dr. Melissa Butler and has three daughters.

Ohio House of Representatives

Following

Jon Husted Jon A. Husted (born August 25, 1967) is an American politician serving as the 66th lieutenant governor of Ohio, since 2019. He was previously the 53rd Ohio Secretary of State. A member of the Republican Party, he previously represented the 6th Di ...

's victory in the

Ohio Secretary of State The Secretary of State of Ohio is an elected statewide official in the State of Ohio. The Secretary of state is responsible for overseeing elections in the state; registering business entities (corporations, etc.) and granting them the author ...

race, Husted resigned from the

Ohio Senate The Ohio Senate is the upper house of the Ohio General Assembly. The State Senate, which meets in the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus, first convened in 1803. Senators are elected for four year terms, staggered every two years such that half of the se ...

. Soon after, Representative

Peggy Lehner Marguerite B. Lehner (born August 5, 1950) is the current Mayor of Kettering, Ohio. Formerly, she also served in the Ohio Senate, Ohio House of Representatives, and on the Kettering City Council. Her Senate district was located entirely in Mon ...

was chosen to replace him. This caused a vacancy in her former House seat, and Butler was ultimately chosen to serve the remainder of the term. He is eligible to serve in the Ohio House through 2020. Butler was sworn into the

on January 11, 2011. He chaired the House Judiciary Committee from 2013 to 2016.Ohio Chamber of Commerce, "2012 General Assembly Primary Candidates," January 17, 2012
From 2016 to 2019 Butler served as Chair of the House Civil Justice Committee. Butler is the Dean of the Caucus for the 133rd General Assembly. On February 6, 2019, Butler was chosen by the Ohio House to serve as Speaker Pro Tempore. He also served as Vice Chair of Rules and Reference Committee.

Electoral history

References

External links

Representative Jim Butler (official site)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Butler, Jim 1973 births 21st-century American politicians Living people Republican Party members of the Ohio House of Representatives People from Oakwood, Montgomery County, Ohio People from Washington Court House, Ohio United States Naval Academy alumni University of Maryland, College Park alumni University of Cincinnati College of Law alumni