- William R. King (judge)
Infobox Judge
name = William Rufus King
imagesize = 175px
caption = King circa 1910
office = 37th Associate Justice of theOregon Supreme Court
termstart = 1909
termend = 1911
nominator =
appointer =
predecessor = new position
successor =Henry J. Bean
office2 =
termstart2 =
termend2 =
nominator2 =
appointer2 =
predecessor2 =
successor2 =
birthdate =October 3 1864
birthplace =Walla Walla, Washington
deathdate = death date and age|1934|6|2|1864|10|3
deathplace =Washington, DC
spouse = L. Myrtle KingWilliam R. King (
October 3 1864 –June 2 1934 ) was an American politician and judge in the state ofOregon . He was the 37thAssociate Justice of theOregon Supreme Court . A native ofWashington , he also served inOregon ’s legislature and promoted the initiative and referendum legislation system.Early life
William King was born near
Walla Walla, Washington onOctober 3 1864 , to David Rufus King and Elizabeth King (nee Estes).Colmer, Montagu, and Charles Erskine Scott Wood. 1910. "History of the Bench and Bar of Oregon". Portland, Or: Historical Pub. Co. p. 165-166.] Corning, Howard M. "Dictionary of Oregon History". Binfords & Mort Publishing, 1956.] Ten years later in 1874 William and his parents moved toMalheur County, Oregon , where he received his basic education. King then attended Oregon Agricultural College from 1882 until 1885 before moving on toIndiana 's Central Normal College in Danville to study law.In Danville, he married L. Myrtle King on December 6, 1892. King studied there from 1889 to 1891 and earn a LL.B. degree from the school and passed the Indiana bar in July 1891. After graduation he returned to Oregon and was admitted to the bar in January 1893. King practiced law in the
Eastern Oregon communities of Ontario, Vale, and Baker.Political career
In 1892, King was elected to the
Oregon House of Representatives as a Democrat representing Malheur County. [ [http://arcweb.sos.state.or.us/legislative/histleg/statehood/1893reg.htm Oregon Legislative Assembly (17th) 1893 Regular Session.] Oregon State Archives. Retrieved onJanuary 20 2008 .] He was then elected in 1894 to the state senate as a Democrat Populist. [ [http://arcweb.sos.state.or.us/legislative/histleg/statehood/1895reg.htm Oregon Legislative Assembly (18th) 1895 Regular Session.] Oregon State Archives. Retrieved onJanuary 20 2008 .] While in the legislature he was a proponent of the initiative and referendum that Oregon would later adopt. In 1898, he ran forGovernor of Oregon and lost toT. T. Geer in the general election.King was appointed as the Commissioner of the Oregon Supreme Court on February 23, 1907. On
February 12 1909 , Oregon GovernorGeorge Earle Chamberlain appointed King to the state supreme court when the court expanded from three to five justices. [ [http://www.bluebook.state.or.us/state/elections/elections24.htm Oregon Blue Book: Governors of Oregon.] Oregon Secretary of State. Retrieved onJanuary 20 2008 .] [http://www.bluebook.state.or.us/state/elections/elections27.htm Oregon Blue Book: Supreme Court Justices of Oregon.] Oregon Secretary of State. Retrieved onJanuary 20 2008 .] He left the state’s high court at the end of the term onJanuary 1 1911 .Later life
After serving on the bench King would move to
Washington, DC where he served as chief counsel while working for theUnited States Bureau of Reclamation . He married and had one daughter. He also lived inHonolulu, Hawaii andLos Angeles, California . William R. King died in Washington, DC on June 2, 1934.References
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