Samuel Pailthorpe King
Encyclopedia
Samuel Pailthorpe King was an American lawyer
and judge
. Since 1972 he served as judge on the United States District Court for the District of Hawaii
.
. His grandfather was ship captain and politician James A. King
(1832–1899). He lost his left eye as a child of about six.
After the family returned to Hawaii, he attended and graduated from Punahou School
. His mother was part Native Hawaiian Pauline Nawahineokalai Evans.
His father Samuel Wilder King
(1886–1959), also part native Hawaiian, later became the delegate to US Congress of the Territory of Hawaii
, and then Governor
.
He attended Yale University
where he received a B.S. in 1937 and Yale Law School
, where he graduated with a LL.B. in 1940.
He married Anne van Patten Grilk (born 1921) on July 8, 1944 in Boulder, Colorado
. They had a son Samuel Pailthorpe King, Jr., and daughters Louise King Lanzilotti and Charlotte "Becky" King Stretch.
, he joined the United States Navy as a Japanese language
translator from 1942 to 1946, and the Naval Reserve from 1946 to 1967. He returned to private practice of law in Honolulu, Hawaii
from 1946 to 1961. He was a District magistrate for the City and County of Honolulu from 1956 to 1961. Governor William F. Quinn
appointed him judge to the First Circuit Court of Hawaii
from 1961 to 1970, and then a judge on the Family Court of Hawaii
from 1966 to 1970. In 1970 he resigned as a judge and ran as a Republican
for governor of Hawaii, losing to incumbent John A. Burns
.
He returned to private law practice from 1970 to 1972.
King was nominated by Richard M. Nixon on May 22, 1972 to a seat vacated by Cyrus Nils Tavares
on the United States District Court for the District of Hawaii
. He was confirmed by the United States Senate
on June 28, 1972, and received his commission on June 28, 1972. He served as chief judge from 1974. In 1975 he presided over the case that convicted suspected organized crime leader Wilford Kalaauala "Nappy" Pulawa for tax evasion.
Although there were two judgeships authorized for the district, the other judge, Dick Yin Wong
, died in 1978. King had to try all the cases except for occasional help from visitng mainland judges. Walter Meheula Heen
was nominated in January 1981 via a recess appointment
, but was not confirmed, so by the end of 1981 King was back to being the only judge. In 1983 King suffered temporary amnesia,
and retired to senior status
on November 30, 1984.
He continued to hear cases, including a murder trial depicted in the book And the Sea Will Tell
that took place on remote Palmyra Atoll
. The trial moved to California
because of pre-trial publicity, and included defense lawyers Vincent Bugliosi
and Leonard Weinglass
.
He was well known as a mentor to many Hawaii lawyers and judges including U.S. District Judges David A. Ezra, Susan Oki Mollway, and J. Michael Seabright.
In 1997 he joined with other respected senior civic leaders to publish the essay "Broken Trust" in the Honolulu Star-Bulletin
newspaper. Co-authors were Judge Walter Heen, Monsignor Charles Kekumano
, educator Gladys Brandt, and law professor Randall W. Roth. The investigation propted by the report resulted in the reorganization of the Kamehameha Schools
. He and Roth co-authored a book expanding the essay, published in 2006.
On December 7, 2010, he died at Kuakini Medical Center
from head injuries he received in a fall.
Adrienne King, married to his son Samuel Pailthorpe King, Jr. (both lawyers), ran for Lieutenant governor in 2010
but lost in the Republican primary.
Law of the United States
The law of the United States consists of many levels of codified and uncodified forms of law, of which the most important is the United States Constitution, the foundation of the federal government of the United States...
and judge
Judge
A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...
. Since 1972 he served as judge on the United States District Court for the District of Hawaii
United States District Court for the District of Hawaii
The United States District Court for the District of Hawaii is the principal trial court of the United States Federal Court System in the state of Hawaii. It is located at the Prince Kuhio Federal Building in downtown Honolulu, fronting the Aloha Tower and Honolulu Harbor. The court hears both...
.
Life
King was born April 13, 1916 in Hankow, China while his father was in the United States NavyUnited States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
. His grandfather was ship captain and politician James A. King
James A. King
James Anderson King was a ship's master who became a politician of the Republic of Hawaii.-Life:James Anderson King was born in Scotland in 1832....
(1832–1899). He lost his left eye as a child of about six.
After the family returned to Hawaii, he attended and graduated from Punahou School
Punahou School
Punahou School, once known as Oahu College, is a private, co-educational, college preparatory school located in Honolulu CDP, City and County of Honolulu in the U.S. State of Hawaii...
. His mother was part Native Hawaiian Pauline Nawahineokalai Evans.
His father Samuel Wilder King
Samuel Wilder King
Samuel Wilder King was the eleventh Territorial Governor of Hawaii and served from 1953 to 1957. He was appointed to the office after the term of Oren E. Long. Previously, King served in the United States House of Representatives as a delegate from the Territory of Hawaii...
(1886–1959), also part native Hawaiian, later became the delegate to US Congress of the Territory of Hawaii
Territory of Hawaii
The Territory of Hawaii or Hawaii Territory was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 7, 1898, until August 21, 1959, when its territory, with the exception of Johnston Atoll, was admitted to the Union as the fiftieth U.S. state, the State of Hawaii.The U.S...
, and then Governor
Governor of Hawaii
The Governor of Hawaii is the chief executive of the state of Hawaii and its various agencies and departments, as provided in the Hawaii State Constitution Article V, Sections 1 through 6. It is a directly elected position, votes being cast by popular suffrage of residents of the state...
.
He attended Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
where he received a B.S. in 1937 and Yale Law School
Yale Law School
Yale Law School, or YLS, is the law school of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Established in 1824, it offers the J.D., LL.M., J.S.D. and M.S.L. degrees in law. It also hosts visiting scholars, visiting researchers and a number of legal research centers...
, where he graduated with a LL.B. in 1940.
He married Anne van Patten Grilk (born 1921) on July 8, 1944 in Boulder, Colorado
Boulder, Colorado
Boulder is the county seat and most populous city of Boulder County and the 11th most populous city in the U.S. state of Colorado. Boulder is located at the base of the foothills of the Rocky Mountains at an elevation of...
. They had a son Samuel Pailthorpe King, Jr., and daughters Louise King Lanzilotti and Charlotte "Becky" King Stretch.
Legal career
King started in private law practice Washington, DC in 1942. During World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, he joined the United States Navy as a Japanese language
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
translator from 1942 to 1946, and the Naval Reserve from 1946 to 1967. He returned to private practice of law in Honolulu, Hawaii
Honolulu, Hawaii
Honolulu is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii. Honolulu is the southernmost major U.S. city. Although the name "Honolulu" refers to the urban area on the southeastern shore of the island of Oahu, the city and county government are consolidated as the City and...
from 1946 to 1961. He was a District magistrate for the City and County of Honolulu from 1956 to 1961. Governor William F. Quinn
William F. Quinn
William Francis Quinn was the Governor of the Territory of Hawai'i from 1957 to 1959 and the Governor of the State of Hawai'i from 1959 to 1962. Originally appointed to the office by President Dwight D...
appointed him judge to the First Circuit Court of Hawaii
Hawaii State Circuit Courts
The Hawaii State Circuit Courts are the trial courts of general jurisdiction in Hawaii. They are the primary civil and criminal courts of the Hawaii State Judiciary. The Circuit Courts are the only Hawaii state courts to conduct jury trials...
from 1961 to 1970, and then a judge on the Family Court of Hawaii
Hawaii State Family Courts
The Hawaii State Family Courts are the family courts in the state court system of HawaiiThey have exclusive jurisdiction over cases involving legal minors, such as juvenile delinquency, status offenses, abuse and neglect, termination of parental rights, adoption, guardianships and detention among...
from 1966 to 1970. In 1970 he resigned as a judge and ran as a Republican
Hawaii Republican Party
The Hawaii Republican Party is the state affiliate of the Republican Party of the United States. Based in Honolulu, the party is a central organization established for the promotion of the party platform as it is drafted in convention every other year...
for governor of Hawaii, losing to incumbent John A. Burns
John A. Burns
John Anthony Burns served as the second Governor of Hawaii from 1962 to 1974. Born in Fort Assinniboine, Montana, Burns was a resident of Hawaii from 1913....
.
He returned to private law practice from 1970 to 1972.
King was nominated by Richard M. Nixon on May 22, 1972 to a seat vacated by Cyrus Nils Tavares
Cyrus Nils Tavares
Cyrus Nils Tavares was an American lawyer and judge. He served as judge on the United States District Court for the District of Hawaii....
on the United States District Court for the District of Hawaii
United States District Court for the District of Hawaii
The United States District Court for the District of Hawaii is the principal trial court of the United States Federal Court System in the state of Hawaii. It is located at the Prince Kuhio Federal Building in downtown Honolulu, fronting the Aloha Tower and Honolulu Harbor. The court hears both...
. He was confirmed by the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
on June 28, 1972, and received his commission on June 28, 1972. He served as chief judge from 1974. In 1975 he presided over the case that convicted suspected organized crime leader Wilford Kalaauala "Nappy" Pulawa for tax evasion.
Although there were two judgeships authorized for the district, the other judge, Dick Yin Wong
Dick Yin Wong
Dick Yin Wong was an American lawyer and judge. He served as judge on the United States District Court for the District of Hawaii....
, died in 1978. King had to try all the cases except for occasional help from visitng mainland judges. Walter Meheula Heen
Walter Meheula Heen
Walter Meheula Heen is an American lawyer, politician and judge. He briefly served as judge on the United States District Court for the District of Hawaii and trustee of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs.-Life:...
was nominated in January 1981 via a recess appointment
Recess appointment
A recess appointment is the appointment, by the President of the United States, of a senior federal official while the U.S. Senate is in recess. The U.S. Constitution requires that the most senior federal officers must be confirmed by the Senate before assuming office, but while the Senate is in...
, but was not confirmed, so by the end of 1981 King was back to being the only judge. In 1983 King suffered temporary amnesia,
and retired to senior status
Senior status
Senior status is a form of semi-retirement for United States federal judges, and judges in some state court systems. After federal judges have reached a certain combination of age and years of service on the federal courts, they are allowed to assume senior status...
on November 30, 1984.
He continued to hear cases, including a murder trial depicted in the book And the Sea Will Tell
And the Sea Will Tell
And the Sea Will Tell is a true crime book by Vincent Bugliosi and Bruce B. Henderson. The nonfiction book, a New York Times #1 hardcover bestseller and still in print as a trade paperback, recounts a double murder on Palmyra Atoll and the subsequent arrest, trial and conviction of Duane Walker,...
that took place on remote Palmyra Atoll
Palmyra Atoll
Palmyra Atoll is an essentially unoccupied equatorial Northern Pacific atoll administered as an unorganized incorporated territory by the United States federal government...
. The trial moved to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
because of pre-trial publicity, and included defense lawyers Vincent Bugliosi
Vincent Bugliosi
Vincent Bugliosi is an American attorney and author, best known for prosecuting Charles Manson and other defendants accused of the Tate-LaBianca murders. His most recent books are Reclaiming History: The Assassination of President John F. Kennedy , The Prosecution of George W...
and Leonard Weinglass
Leonard Weinglass
Leonard Irving Weinglass was a U.S. criminal defense lawyer and constitutional law advocate. Weinglass graduated from Yale Law School in 1958, then served as a Captain, Judge Advocate, United States Air Force from 1959 to 1961. He was admitted to the bar in the states of New Jersey, New York,...
.
He was well known as a mentor to many Hawaii lawyers and judges including U.S. District Judges David A. Ezra, Susan Oki Mollway, and J. Michael Seabright.
In 1997 he joined with other respected senior civic leaders to publish the essay "Broken Trust" in the Honolulu Star-Bulletin
Honolulu Star-Bulletin
The Honolulu Star-Bulletin was a daily newspaper based in Honolulu, Hawaii, United States. At the time publication ceased on June 6, 2010, it was the second largest daily newspaper in the state of Hawaii...
newspaper. Co-authors were Judge Walter Heen, Monsignor Charles Kekumano
Charles Kekumano
-Life:Charles Kekumano was born in 1919 in Kona on the island of Hawai‘i. Educated at Saint Louis High School in Honolulu, he studied for the priesthood and was ordained for the Diocese of Honolulu. He earned a doctorate in Canon law from The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C...
, educator Gladys Brandt, and law professor Randall W. Roth. The investigation propted by the report resulted in the reorganization of the Kamehameha Schools
Kamehameha Schools
Kamehameha Schools , formerly called Kamehameha Schools/Bishop Estate , is a private co-educational college-preparatory institution that specializes in Native Hawaiian language and cultural education. It is located in Hawaii and operates three campuses: Kapālama , Pukalani , and Keaau...
. He and Roth co-authored a book expanding the essay, published in 2006.
On December 7, 2010, he died at Kuakini Medical Center
Kuakini Medical Center
-Description:Its address is 347 North Kuakini Street, located at near the corner of Liliha street.The center is run by the Kuakini Health System which also runs geriatric care facilities and a foundation....
from head injuries he received in a fall.
Adrienne King, married to his son Samuel Pailthorpe King, Jr. (both lawyers), ran for Lieutenant governor in 2010
Hawaii gubernatorial election, 2010
The Hawaii gubernatorial election of 2010 was held on November 2, 2010 to determine the next Governor and Lieutenant Governor of Hawaii. The winning candidates will serve a four-year term from 2010 to 2014. Incumbent Republican Governor Linda Lingle was term-limited in 2010 and not eligible to run...
but lost in the Republican primary.