Cecil R. King | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromCalifornia's17th district | |
| In office August 25, 1942 – January 3, 1969 | |
| Preceded by | Lee E. Geyer |
| Succeeded by | Glenn M. Anderson |
| Member of theCalifornia State Assembly from the67th district | |
| In office January 4, 1937 – August 25, 1942 | |
| Preceded by | Lee E. Geyer |
| Succeeded by | Clayton A. Dills |
| In office January 2, 1933 – January 7, 1935 | |
| Preceded by | George F. Gillette |
| Succeeded by | Lee E. Geyer |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Cecil Rhodes King (1898-01-13)January 13, 1898 Fort Niagara,New York, U.S. |
| Died | March 17, 1974(1974-03-17) (aged 76) Inglewood, California, U.S. |
| Resting place | Inglewood Park Cemetery |
| Party | Democratic |
| Children | 1 |
| Education | University of Southern California |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service |  United States Army |
| Battles/wars | World War I |
Cecil Rhodes King (January 13, 1898 – March 17, 1974) was an Americanbusinessman andpolitician. King, aDemocrat, served as the first member of theUnited States House of Representatives fromCalifornia's 17th congressional district for fourteen terms, serving from August 1942 to January 1969.[1] King was first elected byspecial election on August 25, 1942, after previously serving out the term ofLee E. Geyer who had died inWashington, D.C., on October 11, 1941.[2]
King was born on January 13, 1898, inFort Niagara inNiagara County, New York. At the age of ten, King moved with his family toLos Angeles, California.[1]
After attending public school in Los Angeles, King enlisted in theUnited States Army duringWorld War I.[3] In the war, he served as aprivate, the lowestenlisted rank in theUnited States Army,[4] from 1917 to 1918. After the war, King got involved in local business inSouthern California.[1]
In 1933, King became a member of theCalifornia State Assembly and served in that body until 1942, with the exception of 1936.[3] He served as a delegate fromCalifornia[5] to the1940 Democratic National Convention atChicago Stadium inChicago, Illinois.[6]
The representative forCalifornia's 17th congressional district, Lee E. Geyer, died inWashington, D.C., on October 11, 1941.[2] King was elected as aDemocrat to the77th United States Congress in a special election on August 25, 1942, and served out Geyer's unexpired term. Later that year, King ran unopposed in thegeneral election for the full term and captured 92,260 votes, 99.8 percent of the total.[7]
King served as a member of theUnited States House Committee on Ways and Means, beginning a commitment that he would serve during twelve of his following thirteen terms in the House of Representatives, excluding only 1947–1948, during the80th United States Congress.[8] Two years later, King again served as one of California's delegates to the1944 Democratic National Convention[9] again held at Chicago Stadium from July 19 to July 21.[10] In theHouse elections on November 7, 1944, King again ran unopposed for state's 17th district, and captured 147,217 votes, nearly 100 percent.[11] In the1946 House elections, King was again unopposed and captured 110,654 votes, or 99.4 percent.[12] At the1948 Democratic National Convention, King served as an alternate delegate from California.[13] In continuance of the trend, he again ran unopposed in1948 and1950 and captured 99.9 percent of the vote in both elections.[14][15] During the 1950s, King also served as the chairman of the House of Representatives subcommittee investigatingtax irregularities.[16]
After facing his first competitive re-election bid in1952 when he defeated Republican challengerRobert Finch by nearly 11 percent of the vote,[17] King cruised by in future elections, capturing more than 60 percent of the vote in landslide elections in each biennial election from1954 to1966.[18][19][20][21][22][23][24] King also was one of the first people involved in the issue ofMedicare, and had carried on the battle in the House of Representatives throughout the 1950s and 1960s until PresidentLyndon B. Johnson signed theMedicare Bill on July 30, 1965.[25]
King voted in favor of theCivil Rights Acts of 1957,[26]1960,[27]1964,[28]1968,[29] as well as the24th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution[30] and theVoting Rights Act of 1965.[31]
After nearly twenty-seven years of service, King was not a candidate for re-election in the1968 House elections to the91st United States Congress.[1] His successor,Glenn M. Anderson, won a close election by a slim two percent margin.[32] On March 17, 1974, King died of astroke at anursing home inInglewood, California, at the age of 76. He was then interred inInglewood Park Cemetery inInglewood, California.[3]
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
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| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromCalifornia's 17th congressional district 1942 - 1969 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
