The North Carolina Board of Transportation has announced that McGuireWoods Consulting senior advisor, former Congressman G.K. Butterfield, will have a portion of Interstate 95 named in his honor for his years of service to the people of the state. The naming resolution was offered by highway commissioner Melvin Mitchell with the unanimous support of the Board of Commissioners for Northampton and Halifax Counties.
The Congressman G.K. Butterfield Highway will encompass an 8.55-mile stretch of the highway, beginning at the North Carolina-Virginia state line. It traverses Northampton and Halifax Counties where Butterfield’s mother began her teaching career in the legendary Rosenwald Schools.
Born and raised in the heart of Wilson, N.C., Butterfield’s journey from a family rooted in service to a distinguished career in law, politics, and advocacy is a testament to his unwavering commitment to his community and the principles he holds dear. Butterfield completed high school in Wilson before earning both a bachelor’s degree and law degree from North Carolina Central University in Durham. In 1975, he founded a law practice in Wilson with partners Milton Fitch and Quentin Sumner. Years later, James A. Wynn, Jr. (now circuit court judge James Andrew Wynn) joined the law practice. Butterfield was elected as resident superior court judge in 1988 and later served briefly as associate justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court.
In 2004, Butterfield was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives where he served until 2022. Throughout, he tirelessly represented the constituents of North Carolina’s 1st Congressional District. He served on the Energy and Commerce and House Administration committees and chaired the Congressional Black Caucus from 2015 – 2017. He also served as senior chief deputy whip under the leadership of Majority Whip James E. Clyburn.
