William G. King Jr. | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | (1918-12-14)14 December 1918 Topeka, Kansas |
| Died | 21 June 2009(2009-06-21) (aged 90) |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Service |
|
| Years of service | 1941–1971 |
| Rank |  Brigadier General |
| Commands | Air Force Satellite Control Facility |
| Battles / wars | World War II: |
| Awards | |
William Gregg King Jr. (14 December 1918 – 21 June 2009) was abrigadier general in theUnited States Air Force (USAF). After service with theUnited States Army inWorld War II, he joined the USAF in 1947. He helped establish theEastern Test Range atCape Canaveral, Florida, was project officer for theSM-62 Snarkcruise missile, helped initiate the WS-117L military satellite program, worked on theSAMOSreconnaissance satellite, commanded theAir Force Satellite Control Facility, and was director of theNational Reconnaissance Office (NRO) Project A.
William Gregg King Jr. was born in Topeka, Kansas, on 14 December 1918.[1] He graduated fromDodge City High School in 1937, and enteredKansas State University where he received military training with theReserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC).[2] King's education was interrupted in 1941 byWorld War II, when he was commissioned through the ROTC as a second lieutenant in theUnited States Army Coast Artillery Corps and called up for active duty.[2] During the war he served as an antiaircraft artillery officer onGuam,Leyte andOkinawa.[1]
After the war, King completed interrupted studies at the University of Kansas, from which he graduated with hisBachelor of Science degree in engineering in January 1946. He accepted a regular Army commission inUnited States Army Corps of Engineers, and was a group commander at the Aviation Engineers Training School atFort Francis E. Warren inWyoming. He transferred to theUnited States Air Force when it became a separate service in 1947.[1][2]King completed a training course onguided missiles atFort Bliss, Texas, and was assigned to the newly formedJoint Long Range Proving Ground atPatrick Air Force Base inFlorida.[1][2] He was involved in the exploration and surveys of the islands where downrange stations were subsequently established as part of theEastern Test Range atCape Canaveral, Florida, and for a time was the station commander of the Grand Bahama Auxiliary Air Force Base.[3]
King entered the University of Chicago, which awarded him aMaster of Business Administration degree in research and development management in 1954.[1][2] He joined theAir Research and Development Command atWright-Patterson Air Force Base inOhio in 1955, where he was initially engaged in writing the systems requirements for a medium-range, tactical guided missile. King read a report fromRAND Corporation onreconnaissance satellites, and became convinced that such capabilities would become feasible in the near future. He was involved in the creation of a space program office at Wright-Patterson which became known as the Advanced Reconnaissance Satellite Program Office. As its project officer he briefed theSecretary of the Air Force, and convinced him to provide $2 million (equivalent to $17.8 million in 2024) for systems concept studies. King was a member of the selection committee which choseLockheed Corporation as the contractor for the WS-117L military satellite program.[3]
In 1957, King became the weapons systems project officer for theSM-62 Snarkintercontinental range surface-to-surfacecruise missile, and he oversaw its deployment atPresque Isle Air Force Base inMaine. In July 1959 he joined theSpace Systems Division inLos Angeles, where he worked in the project office of theSAMOSreconnaissance satellite, which became the Office of Special Projects of theNational Reconnaissance Office (NRO) in 1961.[3] He became the Deputy Director, Special Projects in the Office of the Secretary of the Air Force in March 1962, a position he held until September 1966,[1] when he became the commander of theAir Force Satellite Control Facility, the headquarters of the worldwide tracking network, atLos Angeles Air Force Station inSunnyvale, California.[2]
In August 1967, King became the assistant deputy chief of staff for operations of theAir Force Systems Command atAndrews Air Force Base inMaryland.[3] He was promoted tobrigadier general in 1968, and returned to the West Coast in January 1969 as assistant to the director of the Office of Special Projects,NRO Program A, the component of the NRO responsible for USAF satellites. He became Program A director in July that year, a post he held until his retirement on 31 March 1971.[1]
King's military decorations include theAir Force Distinguished Service Medal,Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster, Bronze Star Medal, and Air Force Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster.[1][2] He was honored as a space pioneer in 1989 and 1997, receiving honors from the Smithsonian Institution in 1989, and by theAir Force Space Command in 1997.[1] The Brigadier General William G. King trophy for the Space Command's best systems wing was named after him in 2008.[4] He died on 21 June 2009.[1][2]
