James E. King (October 20, 1939 – July 26, 2009) was an American businessman and politician. A Republican, he was a member of

Florida House of Representatives The Florida House of Representatives is the lower house of the Florida Legislature, the State legislature (United States), state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida, the Florida Senate being the upper house. Article III, Section 1 of the C ...

from 1986 through 1999, and subsequently represented the 8th District of the

Florida Senate The Florida Senate is the upper house of the Florida Legislature, the State legislature (United States), state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida, the Florida House of Representatives being the lower house. Article III, Section 1 of the C ...

from 1999 until his death. He served as President of the Florida Senate from 2002 to 2004 and served as the Majority Leader from 2000 to 2002.

Early years

King was born in

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

, and moved with his family to Florida in 1945, where he became the first member of his family to graduate from high schoolGalnor, Matt
"State Sen. Jim King dies after battle with pancreatic cancer"
Florida Times-Union, July 27, 2009 He attended

Florida State University Florida State University (FSU or Florida State) is a Public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preeminent university in the s ...

where he earned bachelor's and master's degrees. He married the former Linda Braddock. He has a daughter, Laurie Anne, from his first marriage to Eileen and a daughter, Monta Michelle, from his second marriage to Dorothy King. King had a rocky start in business, nearly going bankrupt twice before he mortgaged his home in 1969 to start an employment service agency, which was successful. In 1997, he sold the company for $15 million and focused on his political career, which began in 1986.

Politics

King was elected to the

in 1986. He was elected to the

in 1999 and was the president of the senate from 2003 to 2004. In 2006, he was opposed in the Republican

primary election Primary elections or primaries are elections held to determine which candidates will run in an upcoming general election. In a partisan primary, a political party selects a candidate. Depending on the state and/or party, there may be an "open pr ...

Randall Terry Randall Allen Terry (born April 25, 1959) is an American politician and activist. Terry founded the anti-abortion organization Operation Save America, Operation Rescue. Beginning in 1987, the group became particularly prominent for blockading th ...

, a prominent

anti-abortion Anti-abortion movements, also self-styled as pro-life movements, are involved in the abortion debate advocating against the practice of abortion and its Abortion by country, legality. Many anti-abortion movements began as countermovements in r ...

activist who had opposed him on the Schiavo matter. Another of King's achievements as senator was his legislation on pet burial, which allowed pet owners to be buried with their furry friends.

Death

In May 2009, King was diagnosed with

pancreatic cancer Pancreatic cancer arises when cell (biology), cells in the pancreas, a glandular organ behind the stomach, begin to multiply out of control and form a Neoplasm, mass. These cancerous cells have the malignant, ability to invade other parts of ...

, but the following month, announced that he was cancer-free. In mid-July, his family announced that the disease had spread and he entered a

hospice Hospice care is a type of health care that focuses on the palliation of a terminally ill patient's pain and symptoms and attending to their emotional and spiritual needs at the end of life. Hospice care prioritizes comfort and quality of life b ...

program. Jim King died on Sunday, July 26, 2009.Senator King Not Expected To Make Recovery
July 26, 2009. ''First Coast News'' (news).

Education

* Florida State University, B.A., 1961, B.S., 1961, M.B.A., 1962 * St. Petersburg Junior College, A.A., 1959

Legacy

In 2008 The James E. King Life Sciences Building was opened on the Florida State University campus. At the dedication ceremony then university president T. K. Wetherell had this to say about Senator King:

References

External links

Project Vote Smart - Senator James E. 'Jim' King Jr. (FL)
profile

biography , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:King, James E Presidents of the Florida Senate Republican Party Florida state senators Republican Party members of the Florida House of Representatives 1939 births 2009 deaths Politicians from Jacksonville, Florida Politicians from Brooklyn Florida State University alumni Deaths from pancreatic cancer in Florida 20th-century Florida politicians 21st-century members of the Florida Legislature St. Petersburg College alumni