William H. King

William Henry King
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Utah's 1st district
In office March 4, 1897 – March 3, 1899
Preceded by	Clarence Emir Allen
Succeeded by	Vacant
In office April 2, 1900 – March 3, 1901
Preceded by	Vacant
Succeeded by	George Sutherland
United States Senator from Utah
In office March 4, 1917 – January 3, 1941
Preceded by	George Sutherland
Succeeded by	Abe Murdock
President pro tempore of the United States Senate
In office November 19, 1940 – January 3, 1941
Preceded by	Key Pittman
Succeeded by	Pat Harrison
Personal details
Born	June 3, 1863 Fillmore, Utah
Died	November 27, 1949 (aged 86) Salt Lake City, Utah
Resting place	Salt Lake City Cemetery 40°46′37.92″N 111°51′28.8″W / 40.7772000°N 111.858000°W
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Louisa Ann Lyman (1868–1906) Vera Sjodahl (1891–1955)
Children	Romola King Paul Browning King Adrienne King Kathleen King David Sjodahl King Eleanor King John Creighton King
Alma mater	University of Michigan
Profession	Lawyer
Religion	The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon)

William Henry King (June 3, 1863 – November 27, 1949) was an American lawyer, politician, and jurist from Salt Lake City, Utah. A Democrat, he represented Utah in the United States Senate from 1917 until 1941.

Life

King was born in Fillmore, Utah Territory in 1863. He attended Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah and the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. He served as a missionary of the LDS Church in Great Britain from 1880 to 1883.

After holding local offices and serving two terms in the territorial legislature, he graduated from the law department of the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, joined the Utah bar and practiced law. He held other territorial offices and then served as an associate justice of the Utah Supreme Court between 1894 and 1896. After Utah became a state in 1896, he was elected to the United States House of Representatives and served in the 55th Congress from March 4, 1897 to March 3, 1899. He was not nominated for a second term, but when his replacement, B. H. Roberts, was denied his seat because he was a polygamist, King was elected to complete Roberts' term and served from April 2, 1900 to March 3, 1901. He ran for the same position in 1900 and again in 1902, but lost both times.

King was elected to the Senate four times and served between March 4, 1917 and January 3, 1941. He failed to win renomination in 1940. In 1918 and 1919, he served on the Overman Committee, which investigated seditious pro-German activity during World War I and Bolshevik-inspired anti-Americanism in the months following the war's end. He served as the President pro tempore of the Senate in 1939-41 during the 76th Congress.

He practiced law in Washington, D.C. until April 1947. He then returned to Utah and died there in 1949. He was buried at Salt Lake City Cemetery. His son, David S. King, also served in Congress, and his first cousin Culbert Olson was a California governor.

King was a direct descendant of Edmund Rice, an English immigrant to Massachusetts Bay Colony, as follows:^[1]

• William H. King, son of

• William King (1834–1892), son of
• Thomas Rice King (1813–1879),^[2] son of

• Thomas King (1770–1845), son of
• William King (1724–1793), son of

• Ezra Rice King (1697–1746), son of
• Samuel Rice King (1667–1713), son of
• Samuel Rice (1634–1684), son of

• Edmund Rice (1594–1663)

References

1. Edmund Rice (1638) Association, 2007. Descendants of Edmund Rice: The First Nine Generations.
2. "Thomas Rice King". Early Latter Day Saints; Mormon Trail Database. Retrieved 21 Sep 2010.

External links

• William H. King at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• William Henry and David S. King papers, MSS 6143 at L. Tom Perry Special Collections, Brigham Young University
• Felix Koziol papers, MSS 6210 at L. Tom Perry Special Collections, Brigham Young University. Contains scrapbook with newspaper clippings related to William H. King.