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, following the resignation of Governor Ralph M. Paiewonsky.

Early life

King was born in Frederiksted on the island of Saint Croix, where he lived during his formative years. During World War II, he served in the 873rd Port Company in Hawaii. After the completion of his service, he attended the

American University The American University (AU or American) is a private federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C. Its main campus spans 90 acres (36 ha) on Ward Circle, mostly in the Spring Valley neighborhood of Northwest D.C. AU was charte ...

, where he earned a public administration degree.

Political career

Starting in 1949, King worked for Minnesota senator

Hubert Humphrey Hubert Horatio Humphrey Jr. (May 27, 1911 – January 13, 1978) was an American pharmacist and politician who served as the 38th vice president of the United States from 1965 to 1969. He twice served in the United States Senate, representing Mi ...

, as the first black member of staff of the U.S. Senate. He rose through the ranks of the office, eventually becoming chief of staff. He returned to the islands in 1951 as an appointed government secretary for

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination i ...

. To support his election for governor in 1970 and challenge the Democratic Party in the Virgin Islands, he developed the Independent Citizens Movement. Even though his 1970 campaign was unsuccessful, he ran again in 1974 and won, becoming the second governor of the Virgin Islands. At the time of his death, he had been planning to run for a second term. Cyril E

Legacy

A Virgin Islands' statute puts aside April 7, King's birthday, as Cyril Emmanuel King Day. In 1984, the Harry S. Truman Airport on St. Thomas was renamed

Cyril E. King Airport Cyril E. King Airport is a public airport located two miles (3 km) west of the central business district of Charlotte Amalie on the island of St. Thomas in the United States Virgin Islands. It is currently the busiest airport in the Un ...

by the Virgin Islands Legislature.

References

External links

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Profiles of Outstanding Virgin Islanders
(includes link to photo) , - {{DEFAULTSORT:King, Cyril E. 1921 births 1978 deaths 20th-century African-American people African-American people in United States Virgin Island politics American University alumni Democratic Party governors of the United States Virgin Islands Governors of the United States Virgin Islands United States Army personnel of World War II United States Virgin Islands military personnel