Stephen B. King (born July 4, 1941) is an American businessman and political activist who served as the

United States Ambassador to the Czech Republic The diplomatic post of United States ambassador to the Czech Republic was created after the dissolution of Czechoslovakia and the United States recognizing the new nation of the Czech Republic on January 1, 1993. In June 1992, the Slovak parli ...

from 2017 to 2021. A member of the Republican Party, he is the founder of King Capital LLC, an equity investment and real estate company. He previously worked at the

Federal Bureau of Investigation The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, ...

(FBI) as an agent and campaigned unsuccessfully in 1988 for his party's nomination for the

U.S. 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 powe ...

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

Early life and education

King was born in

Indianapolis Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

, and was raised in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

. He received a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

social science Social science is one of the branches of science, devoted to the study of societies and the relationships among individuals within those societies. The term was formerly used to refer to the field of sociology, the original "science of soc ...

in 1963 and a

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...

in 1966 from

Western Illinois University Western Illinois University (WIU) is a public university in Macomb, Illinois. It was founded in 1899 as Western Illinois State Normal School. As the normal school grew, it became Western Illinois State Teachers College. History Western Illin ...

. He worked as a social science teacher in

Rushville, Illinois Rushville is a city in Schuyler County, Illinois, United States. The population was 3,192 at the 2010 census and 2,902 in 2018. It is the county seat of Schuyler County. It was first settled by Euro-Americans in 1823. History Geography Accord ...

, from 1963 to 1966 and then as Assistant to the Superintendent of Schools in the same school district until 1967.

Career

King joined the

in 1967. He investigated

civil rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and political life of ...

violations in

Jackson, Mississippi Jackson, officially the City of Jackson, is the Capital city, capital of and the List of municipalities in Mississippi, most populous city in the U.S. state of Mississippi. The city is also one of two county seats of Hinds County, Mississippi, ...

, followed by racially motivated crimes, homicide, arson, bombing and bank robbery. Three times he received special commendations for excellent performance. In 1970, King resigned to serve as

legislative assistant A legislative assistant (LA) or legislative analyst is a person who works for a legislator as a legislative staffer, a government agency as a legislative affairs professional, or in the government relations and regulatory affairs industry by monitor ...

to Republican Senator

Edward Gurney Edward John Gurney Jr. (January 12, 1914 – May 14, 1996) was an attorney and an American politician based in Florida, where he served as a Representative and a United States Senator. Born and reared in Portland, Maine, Gurney moved to Flo ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

. As Gurney's representative, he served on the staff of the

Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations The Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (PSI), stood up in March 1941 as the "Truman Committee," is the oldest subcommittee of the United States Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs (formerly the Committee on Governme ...

(PSI) of the U.S. Senate Committee on Government Operations, eventually becoming an investigator. In 1972, King was named Special Assistant to

Earl Butz Earl Lauer "Rusty" Butz (July 3, 1909 – February 2, 2008) was a United States government official who served as Secretary of Agriculture under Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford. His policies favored large-scale corporate farming ...

, the

US Secretary of Agriculture The United States secretary of agriculture is the head of the United States Department of Agriculture. The position carries similar responsibilities to those of agriculture ministers in other governments. The department includes several organi ...

. In June 1972, at the time of the Watergate complex break-in, King was the security agent for the

Committee for the Re-Election of the President The Committee for the Re-election of the President (also known as the Committee to Re-elect the President), abbreviated CRP, but often mocked by the acronym CREEP, was, officially, a fundraising organization of United States President Richard Nix ...

assigned to abduct and hold

Martha Mitchell Martha Elizabeth Beall Mitchell (September 2, 1918 – May 31, 1976) was the wife of John N. Mitchell, United States Attorney General under President Richard Nixon. Her public comments and interviews during the Watergate scandal were frank and ...

, the wife of then

United States Attorney General The United States attorney general (AG) is the head of the United States Department of Justice, and is the chief law enforcement officer of the federal government of the United States. The attorney general serves as the principal advisor to the p ...

John N. Mitchell, in a hotel room in California, to prevent her from learning about the break-in. Mitchell contended that she had been held in her room against her will by King, during which time he used physical force to prevent her from speaking to the press and restrained her while she was injected with a sedative. The plot to hold Mrs. Mitchell was later confirmed by James McCord, one of the Watergate burglars. King has not denied his involvement in Mrs. Mitchell's confinement, but disputes parts of her story. Sean Bartlett, a spokesman for the Democrats on the

Senate Foreign Relations Committee The United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations is a standing committee of the U.S. Senate charged with leading foreign-policy legislation and debate in the Senate. It is generally responsible for overseeing and funding foreign aid pro ...

, said King was asked about the incident involving Mitchell as part of his

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 ...

confirmation process to be the next

. "After questioning him, and measuring his other qualifications and responses to questions on a range of issues, staff did not believe there was evidence or reason to delay his nomination," Bartlett said. King's appointment was approved by the Senate without objection in a voice vote. In 1976, King became director of development at his alma mater,

. A year later he started his career as a businessman. He moved to

Whitewater, Wisconsin Whitewater is a city located in Walworth and Jefferson counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located near the southern portion of the Kettle Moraine State Forest, Whitewater is the home of the University of Wisconsin–Whitewater. As of the 2 ...

, to serve as

general manager A general manager (GM) is an executive who has overall responsibility for managing both the revenue and cost elements of a company's income statement, known as profit & loss (P&L) responsibility. A general manager usually oversees most or all of ...

of the woodworking firm Carlson's Miniatures. In 1979, he became a part owner and manager of Tomah Products, a chemical manufacturer. In 1994, King led a management buy-out of Tomah. Since then, he has served as

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

and

CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...

of Tomah Products, Inc. He served as a delegate to Wisconsin Republican state conventions and the first

congressional district Congressional districts, also known as electoral districts and legislative districts, electorates, or wards in other nations, are divisions of a larger administrative region that represent the population of a region in the larger congressional bod ...

Republican caucus from 1978. King was elected

chairman The chairperson, also chairman, chairwoman or chair, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the grou ...

of the

Republican Party of Wisconsin The Republican Party of Wisconsin is a right-wing political party in Wisconsin and is the Wisconsin affiliate of the United States Republican Party (GOP). The state party chair is Paul Farrow. The state party is divided into 72 county parties f ...

in 1985. In 1988, King resigned in order to launch a campaign for the U.S. Senate. He lost the Republican nomination to

Susan Engeleiter Susan Shannon Engeleiter (name at birth, née Susan Jane Shannon; born March 18, 1952) is an American United States Republican Party, Republican politician, lawyer, and businesswoman who served as the first female Administrator of the U.S. Small ...

, who was defeated by Democrat

Herb Kohl Herbert H. Kohl (born February 7, 1935) is an American businessman and politician. Alongside his brother and father, the Kohl family created the Kohl's department stores chain, of which Kohl went on to be president and CEO. Kohl also served as a ...

in the general election. From 1990 to 2006, King served as president at the Milton Industrial and Economic Corporation. In 2006, King founded King Capital LLC, an equity investment and real estate company. In 2007, King was elected to represent Wisconsin on the

Republican National Committee The Republican National Committee (RNC) is a U.S. political committee that assists the Republican Party of the United States. It is responsible for developing and promoting the Republican brand and political platform, as well as assisting in fu ...

, and he served until 2017.

Ambassador to the Czech Republic

In July 2017, President

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...

nominated King to be the next

. This nomination was confirmed by the

on October 5, 2017.

Personal life

He is married to Karen. They have three children. Active in the Boy Scouts of America his entire life, Mr. King is the recipient of the Silver Buffalo Award, BSA's highest volunteer award for work at the national level.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:King, Steve 1941 births Living people Wisconsin Republicans People from Chicago People from Indianapolis People from Janesville, Wisconsin Businesspeople from Wisconsin Western Illinois University alumni Federal Bureau of Investigation agents Trump administration personnel Ambassadors of the United States to the Czech Republic American expatriates in the Czech Republic United States congressional aides 21st-century American diplomats