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 The governor of the United States Virgin Islands is the head of government of the United States Virgin Islands whose responsibilities also include making the annual State of the Territory addresses to the Virgin Islands Legislature, submitting ...

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 university, private University charter#Federal, federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Its main campus spans 90-acres (36 ha) on Ward Circle, in the Spri ...

, 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 politician who served from 1965 to 1969 as the 38th vice president of the United States. He twice served in the United States Senate, representing Minnesota from 19 ...

, 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 1961 as government secretary on the appointment of

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: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), also known as JFK, was the 35th president of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963. He was the first Roman Catholic and youngest person elected p ...

. 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.

Death

While stateside on official business in 1977, King took ill and decided to return to the territory where he was welcomed by a large crowd of supporters at the airport that now bears his name. He worked from home but never recovered fully, and died on January 2, 1978. It was eventually revealed he suffered from cancer.

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 in the town of Charlotte Amalie, United States Virgin Islands, Charlotte Amalie on the island of Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, St ...

by the Virgin Islands Legislature.

References

External links

*
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 Deaths from cancer in the United States Virgin Islands