Alvin Olin King (June 21, 1890 – February 21, 1958) was an American

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

allied with the Democratic

faction Faction or factionalism may refer to: Politics * Political faction, a group of people with a common political purpose * Free and Independent Faction, a Romanian political party * Faction (''Planescape''), a political faction in the game ''Planes ...

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Huey Pierce Long Jr Huey, used as a given name, is a variant of Hughie. It may refer to: People * Huey (rapper) (1987–2020), American rapper * Huey Dunbar, Puerto Rican salsa singer * Huey Johnson (1933–2020), American environmentalist and politician * Huey Lewis ...

. A state senator, he was

President Pro Tempore A president pro tempore or speaker pro tempore is a constitutionally recognized officer of a legislative body who presides over the chamber in the absence of the normal presiding officer. The phrase ''pro tempore'' is Latin "for the time being". ...

in 1931, after Long had been elected in 1930 as a US Senator. After Long had conflict with his lieutenant governor, who was ruled to have resigned, King advanced to serve as lieutenant governor for a year. Beginning in late January 1932, he served for three and a half months as governor of Louisiana, after Long had resigned and moved to Washington, DC.

Early life and education

King was born in Leoti in Wichita County in western

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...

– not to be confused with the city of Wichita in southern Kansas. He attended

Tulane University Tulane University, officially the Tulane University of Louisiana, is a private university, private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana. Founded as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834 by seven young medical doctors, it turned into ...

Law School in

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

and began the

practice of law In its most general sense, the practice of law involves giving legal advice to clients, drafting legal documents for clients, and representing clients in legal negotiations and court proceedings such as lawsuits, and is applied to the professi ...

Calcasieu Parish Calcasieu Parish (; french: Paroisse de Calcasieu) is a List of parishes in Louisiana, parish located on the southwestern border of the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 216,785. The p ...

, Louisiana.

Political career

King had joined the Democratic Party and was elected to the

Louisiana State Senate The Louisiana State Senate (french: Sénat de Louisiane) is the upper house of the state legislature of Louisiana. All senators serve four-year terms and are assigned to multiple committees. Composition The Louisiana State Senate is compose ...

from

in the southwestern part of the state. He rose to

of that body. In 1930

Huey Long Huey Pierce Long Jr. (August 30, 1893September 10, 1935), nicknamed "the Kingfish", was an American politician who served as the 40th governor of Louisiana from 1928 to 1932 and as a United States senator from 1932 until his assassination ...

, then serving as governor, was elected from Louisiana to the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

. In 1931 Dr. Paul Narcisse Cyr of Jeanerette, a physician and

lieutenant governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

, filed an ouster suit against Long, under "a law prohibiting dual office holding." He also attempted to take the oath of office as governor at the time when Long would normally have been expected to have vacated the position. The two men had been bitter foes since early years in office. But Long had not resigned from the governorship, as he had some work he wanted to complete before leaving for

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

and being sworn in as senator. The State Supreme Court rejected Cyr's suit. Long won a favorable court ruling that Cyr had given up the position of lieutenant governor by his actions. King, as President Pro Tempore, assumed the office according to the succession plan, to fill out the term. King succeeded Cyr as Lieutenant Governor in 1931. Cyr filed an ouster suit against King, but it was rejected by the State Supreme Court. Cyr ended his political career at that point and returned to his life in Iberia Parish. After Long finally resigned in January 1932, King assumed the governorship, serving for the three and a half months remaining in 1932 in Long's elected term, from January 25, 1932 to May 10, 1932. During his brief tenure, King called for a reduction in highway spending, since the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

made it difficult to finance bonds at an acceptable rate. The Huey P. Long Bridge in Jefferson Parish was under construction in this period, and completed under the next elected governor,

Oscar K. Allen Oscar Kelly Allen Sr. (August 8, 1882 – January 28, 1936), also known as O. K. Allen, was the List of Governors of Louisiana, 42nd Governor of Louisiana from 1932 to 1936. Allen succeeded Alvin Olin King, who served briefly in the state's h ...

. Signs above the roadway entrance to the bridge say only that it was built during the administrations of Huey Long and

Later years

After his several months as governor, King did not run for office again. He returned to practicing law and served for a time as president of the Louisiana Bar Association. He was a

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's b ...

. He died in his home city of Lake Charles.

References

"Alvin Olin King 1932"
State of Louisiana - Biography.

External links

Cemetery Memorial
by La-Cemeteries {{DEFAULTSORT:King, Alvin 1890 births 1958 deaths People from Wichita County, Kansas Tulane University alumni Methodists from Louisiana Politicians from Lake Charles, Louisiana Louisiana lawyers Democratic Party Louisiana state senators Democratic Party governors of Louisiana Tulane University Law School alumni 20th-century American politicians