William H. King
Encyclopedia
William Henry King 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.
, 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 form 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 4, 1899. He was not nominated for a second term, but when his replacement, Brigham H. Roberts was denied his seat because he was a polygamist, King was elected to complete Roberts' term and served from April 2, 1900 and March 4, 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 Seventy-sixth 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
.
King was a direct descendant of Edmund Rice
, an English immigrant to Massachusetts Bay Colony
, as follows:
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
lawyer, politician, and jurist from Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. The name of the city is often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC. With a population of 186,440 as of the 2010 Census, the city lies in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, which has a total population of 1,124,197...
, Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
. A Democrat, he represented Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
in 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...
from 1917 until 1941.
Life
King was born in FillmoreFillmore, Utah
Fillmore is a city in Millard County, Utah, United States. The population was 2,253 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Millard County. It is named for the thirteenth US President Millard Fillmore....
, Utah Territory
Utah Territory
The Territory of Utah was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from September 9, 1850, until January 4, 1896, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Utah....
in 1863. He attended Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students...
in Provo, Utah
Provo, Utah
Provo is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Utah, located about south of Salt Lake City along the Wasatch Front. Provo is the county seat of Utah County and lies between the cities of Orem to the north and Springville to the south...
and the University of Utah
University of Utah
The University of Utah, also known as the U or the U of U, is a public, coeducational research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. The university was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret by the General Assembly of the provisional State of Deseret, making it Utah's oldest...
in Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. The name of the city is often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC. With a population of 186,440 as of the 2010 Census, the city lies in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, which has a total population of 1,124,197...
. 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 form 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
Utah Supreme Court
The Utah Supreme Court is the supreme court of the state of Utah, USA. It has final authority of interpretation of the Utah Constitution. The Utah Supreme Court is composed of five members: a chief justice, an associate chief justice, and three justices. All justices are appointed by the governor...
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 4, 1899. He was not nominated for a second term, but when his replacement, Brigham H. Roberts was denied his seat because he was a polygamist, King was elected to complete Roberts' term and served from April 2, 1900 and March 4, 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
Overman Committee
The Overman Committee was a special subcommittee of the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary chaired by North Carolina Democrat Lee Slater Overman. Between September 1918 and June 1919, it investigated German and Bolshevik elements in the United States...
, which investigated seditious pro-German activity during World War I and Bolshevik
Bolshevik
The Bolsheviks, originally also Bolshevists , derived from bol'shinstvo, "majority") were a faction of the Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party which split apart from the Menshevik faction at the Second Party Congress in 1903....
-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 Seventy-sixth 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
Salt Lake City Cemetery
thumb|The northern section of the cemetery at night, looking towards Salt Lake CityThe Salt Lake City Cemetery is in The Avenues neighborhood of Salt Lake City, Utah. Approximately 120,000 persons are buried in the cemetery. Many religious leaders and politicians, particularly many leaders of The...
. His son, David S. King
David S. King
David Sjodahl King was a representative from Utah. He was a member of the Democratic Party.- Early life and education :...
, also served in Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
.
King was a direct descendant of Edmund Rice
Edmund Rice (1638)
Edmund Rice , was an early immigrant to Massachusetts Bay Colony who was born in Suffolk, England, and lived in Stanstead, Suffolk and Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire prior to sailing with his family to America. He arrived in the Massachusetts Bay Colony in summer or fall of 1638, presumed to be first...
, an English immigrant to Massachusetts Bay Colony
Massachusetts Bay Colony
The Massachusetts Bay Colony was an English settlement on the east coast of North America in the 17th century, in New England, situated around the present-day cities of Salem and Boston. The territory administered by the colony included much of present-day central New England, including portions...
, as follows:
- William H. King, son of
- William King (1834 – 1892), son of
- Thomas Rice King (1813 – 1879), 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 RiceEdmund Rice (1638)Edmund Rice , was an early immigrant to Massachusetts Bay Colony who was born in Suffolk, England, and lived in Stanstead, Suffolk and Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire prior to sailing with his family to America. He arrived in the Massachusetts Bay Colony in summer or fall of 1638, presumed to be first...
(1594 – 1663)
- Edmund Rice
-