Agnes Agatha Schuster King (October 21, 1919 – April 23, 2003) was a U.S. Virgin Islander historic preservationist and gardener. She served as the First Lady of United States Virgin Islands from 1975 to 1978 during the tenure of her husband, Governor

Cyril King Cyril Emanuel King (April 7, 1921 – January 2, 1978) was an American politician who served as the second elected Governor of the United States Virgin Islands from 1975 until his death in 1978. He also briefly served as acting governor in 1969, ...

, the second popularly elected governor of the

U.S. Virgin Islands The United States Virgin Islands,. Also called the ''American Virgin Islands'' and the ''U.S. Virgin Islands''. officially the Virgin Islands of the United States, are a group of Caribbean islands and an unincorporated and organized territory ...

. King focused on the

restoration Restoration is the act of restoring something to its original state and may refer to: * Conservation and restoration of cultural heritage ** Audio restoration ** Film restoration ** Image restoration ** Textile restoration * Restoration ecology ...

, preservation, and beautification of

public gardens A garden is a planned space, usually outdoors, set aside for the cultivation, display, and enjoyment of plants and other forms of nature. The single feature identifying even the wildest wild garden is ''control''. The garden can incorporate both ...

and other spaces during and after her tenure as first lady. The First Lady's Garden, located in front of the Government House on Saint Thomas was named in King's honor by the Legislature of the Virgin Islands.

Biography

Born Agnes Schuster, she married

in a wedding ceremony in

Christiansted Christiansted is the largest town on Saint Croix, one of the main islands composing the United States Virgin Islands, a territory of the United States of America. The town is named after King Christian VI of Denmark. History The town was founded ...

on August 23, 1946. Agnes King served as First Lady of the United States Virgin Islands from 1975 until Governor King's death in office in January 1978. During her tenure, King opened the official governor's residences, known as Government House, on both Saint Thomas and Saint Croix to public tours for the first time. She also organized visits and public lectures on government buildings. She also headed beautification programs to transform public and private spaces into renovated gardens. The 24th Legislature of the Virgin Islands designated the public garden located in front of the Government House on Saint Thomas as the First Lady Garden in recognition of her work in historic preservation and conservation. King was also the recipient of the Clara Barton Bronze Medal from the

American Red Cross The American Red Cross (ARC), also known as the American National Red Cross, is a non-profit humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief, and disaster preparedness education in the United States. It is the desi ...

and received recognition by

U.S. President The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...

Bill Clinton for her 45-years of work with the organization. Agnes King died at Roy L. Schneider Hospital on Saint Thomas on April 23, 2003. She was survived by her daughter, Lillia King. King was buried next to her husband in a

mausoleum A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the interment space or burial chamber of a deceased person or people. A mausoleum without the person's remains is called a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be consid ...

at Kingshill Cemetery on Saint Croix.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:King, Agnes 1919 births 2003 deaths First ladies and gentlemen of the United States Virgin Islands United States Virgin Islands women in politics