ATLANTA — Gov. Nathan Deal on Tuesday named state Sen. Jim Butterworth, R-Clarkesville, as the next adjutant general of Georgia, a position responsible for more than 14,000 personnel in the Georgia Department of Defense.
The state senator will resign his seat on Oct. 2, according to the governor’s office. That day, he will take command of the Georgia Army National Guard, the Georgia Air National Guard and the Georgia State Defense Force.
Butterworth, who was first elected to the state Senate in 2008, succeeds Maj. Gen. Terry Nesbitt. Nesbitt is retiring following more than 40 years of service, including service in the 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne) in Vietnam.
Butterworth’s biography as provided by Deal’s office:
Butterworth currently represents the 50th District. He was first elected to the state Senate in 2008 and was appointed to serve on the Committee on Assignments and as one of Gov. Deal’s floor leaders for the 2011-2012 legislative session.
Butterworth serves as chairman of the Higher Education Committee and vice chairman of the Banking and Financial Institutions Committee. He is also a member of the Appropriations and Natural Resources and the Environment committees and is an ex-officio member of the Economic Development and State and Local Governmental Operations committees.
Prior to serving in the Senate, Sen. Butterworth was chairman of the Habersham County Commission. He negotiated a 25-year water contract providing the county with 3 million gallons of water per day and also helped pass a Special Local Option Sales Tax to finance transportation, economic development, recreation, and natural resources improvements. The Norton Native Intelligence Report named him a “Next Generation Leader.” Butterworth also served on boards to the Georgia Mountains Regional Development Center, the Georgia Department of Community Affairs, All Hazards Council, and the Georgia Department of Community Affairs Regional Advisory Committee.
Butterworth is a pilot for Delta Air Lines. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of Georgia, and he was active in the Air Force R.O.T.C. program and named twice as “AFROTC Cadet of the Year.” He later served in the U.S. Air Force for 12 years, and flew B1 bombers with the Georgia Air National Guard. Butterworth attends Bethlehem Baptist Church in Clarkesville with his wife, Amy, and their four children.
