# David S. King

> Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/David_S._King
> Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/David_S._King.md
> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_S._King
> Source revision: 1354405869
> License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)

American politician (1917–2009)

For other people named David King, see [David King (disambiguation)](/source/David_King_(disambiguation)).

David S. King Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Utah's 2nd district In office January 3, 1965 – January 3, 1967 Preceded by Sherman P. Lloyd Succeeded by Sherman P. Lloyd In office January 3, 1959 – January 3, 1963 Preceded by William A. Dawson Succeeded by Sherman P. Lloyd United States Ambassador to Madagascar In office January 26, 1967 – August 16, 1969 President Lyndon B. Johnson Richard M. Nixon Preceded by C. Vaughan Ferguson, Jr. Succeeded by Anthony D. Marshall United States Ambassador to Mauritius In office July 29, 1968 – August 16, 1969 President Lyndon B. Johnson Richard M. Nixon Preceded by William B. Hussey Succeeded by William D. Brewer Personal details Born David Sjodahl King (1917-06-20)June 20, 1917 Salt Lake City, Utah, United States Died May 5, 2009(2009-05-05) (aged 91) Kensington, Maryland, United States Party Democratic Spouse Rosalie King Children 8, including Jody Education University of Utah Georgetown University Law School Occupation Lawyer

**David Sjodahl King** (June 20, 1917 – May 5, 2009) was an American attorney and politician who served as a [representative](/source/United_States_House_of_Representatives) from [Utah](/source/Utah). He served three terms between 1959 and 1967.

He was a member of the [Democratic Party](/source/United_States_Democratic_Party).

## Early life and education

King was born in [Salt Lake City](/source/Salt_Lake_City%2C_Utah), [Utah](/source/Utah), in 1917. He graduated from the [University of Utah](/source/University_of_Utah) in 1937. From 1937 to 1939, he served as a [missionary](/source/Mormon_missionary) for [the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints](/source/The_Church_of_Jesus_Christ_of_Latter-day_Saints) (LDS Church) in [Great Britain](/source/Great_Britain).[1] After his mission, King attended and graduated from [Georgetown University Law School](/source/Georgetown_University_Law_School). After serving as a clerk for Justice Howard M. Stephens of the [United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia](/source/United_States_Court_of_Appeals_for_the_District_of_Columbia) in 1943, King returned to Utah.

## Legal and political career

King served as counsel to the Utah Tax Commission from 1944 to 1946. He also was involved in private practice from 1945. From 1946 to 1958, he taught commercial law at [Intermountain Business College](/source/Stevens-Henager_College). From 1948 to 1958, King was the second assistant to [Elbert R. Curtis](/source/Elbert_R._Curtis), who was the ninth General Superintendent of the LDS Church's [Young Men's Mutual Improvement Association](/source/Young_Men's_Mutual_Improvement_Association).

### Congress

King was elected as a [Democrat](/source/Democratic_Party_(United_States)) to the 86th and 87th [United States Congresses](/source/United_States_Congress) between January 3, 1959 and January 3, 1963. He was not a candidate for renomination in 1962, choosing instead to run for a seat in the [United States Senate](/source/United_States_Senate). His senatorial campaign was unsuccessful. King was elected to the 89th Congress in 1964, but was defeated in his bid for reelection in 1966.

### Later career

He was appointed [United States Ambassador to Madagascar](/source/United_States_Ambassador_to_Madagascar) and to [Mauritius](/source/United_States_Ambassador_to_Mauritius) in January 1967 and in May 1968, respectively, serving in those two positions concurrently until August 1969.

During the 1970s and 1980s, King practiced law in [Washington, D.C.](/source/Washington%2C_D.C.), and served as an alternate director at the [World Bank](/source/World_Bank). He retired in 1986 to devote his time to serving the LDS Church.

## LDS Church service

From July 1986 to June 1989, he served as [president](/source/Mission_president) of the church's [Haiti](/source/Haiti) [Port-au-Prince](/source/Port-au-Prince) [Mission](/source/Mission_(LDS_Church)). From September 1990 to 1993 he was [president](/source/Temple_president) of the [Washington D.C. Temple](/source/Washington_D.C._Temple) in [Kensington, Maryland](/source/Kensington%2C_Maryland).[2][3] In 1994, he was [called](/source/Calling_(LDS_Church)) as [patriarch](/source/Patriarch_(Latter_Day_Saints)) of the Washington D.C. [Stake](/source/Stake_(Latter_Day_Saints)) and the church's [district](/source/District_(Latter_Day_Saints)) for the District of Columbia.[4]

## Family life

King was a resident of [Kensington, Maryland](/source/Kensington%2C_Maryland) where he lived with his wife of 61 years, Rosalie King. They were the parents of eight children, including [Josephine "Jody" Olsen](/source/Jody_Olsen) who became Director of the [Peace Corps](/source/Peace_Corps) in 2018. His father, [William H. King](/source/William_H._King), was a [Senator](/source/United_States_Senate) from [Utah](/source/Utah). He was preceded in death by his sons David King, Jr., and Elliott West King. David King died on May 5, 2009.[5][6]

## Genealogy

King was a direct patrilineal descendant of [Edmund Rice](/source/Edmund_Rice_(1638)), an English immigrant to [Massachusetts Bay Colony](/source/Massachusetts_Bay_Colony), as follows:[7]

- - **David Sjodahl King**, son of - - [William Henry King](/source/William_H._King), (1863 – 1949), son of - William King (1834 – 1892), son of - Thomas Rice King (1813 – 1879),[8] son of - Thomas King (1770 – 1845), son of - William King (1724 – 1793), son of - - Ezra Rice King (1697 – 1746), son of - - Samuel Rice King (1667 – 1713), son of - - Samuel Rice (1634 – 1684), son of - - [Edmund Rice](/source/Edmund_Rice_(1638)) (1594 – 1663)

## Published works

- King, David S. (2000), *Come to the House of the Lord*, Horizon Publishers & Distributors Inc., [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-88290-687-9](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-88290-687-9)

## See also

- [Janne M. Sjödahl](/source/Janne_M._Sj%C3%B6dahl): maternal grandfather

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** [David Sjodahl King biography in the Congressional Biography database](http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=K000199)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** ["New temple presidents"](https://www.thechurchnews.com/archive/1990-06-16/new-temple-presidents-2846), *Church News*, June 16, 1990

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** ["New temple presidents"](https://www.thechurchnews.com/archive/1993-06-12/new-temple-presidents-6153), *Church News*, June 12, 1993

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** ["President David Sjodahl King"](http://www.mission.net/haiti/port-au-prince/presidents.php?prID=4513), *Haiti Port-au-Prince Mission Alumni*, retrieved 12 Oct 2012

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** ["David S. King obituary"](http://www.legacy.com/washingtonpost/DeathNotices.asp?Page=Notice&PersonID=127017825). *Washington Post*. 7 May 2009. Retrieved 9 Aug 2009.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** ["David King, prominent Demo from Utah dies"](https://web.archive.org/web/20121018064102/http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705302558/David-King-prominent-Demo-from-Utah-dies.html). Deseret News 9 May 2009. Archived from [the original](http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705302558/David-King-prominent-Demo-from-Utah-dies.html) on October 18, 2012. Retrieved 9 Aug 2009.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** Edmund Rice (1638) Association, 2007. Descendants of Edmund Rice: The First Nine Generations.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** ["Thomas Rice King"](http://earlylds.com/getperson.php?personID=I16997&tree=Earlylds). Early Latter Day Saints; Mormon Trail Database. Retrieved 21 Sep 2010.

## Further reading

- (1994) ["King, David Sjodahl"](https://web.archive.org/web/20221103115801/https://www.uen.org/utah_history_encyclopedia/k/KING_DAVID.shtml) article in the [*Utah History Encyclopedia.*](https://www.uen.org/utah_history_encyclopedia/) The article was written by Doris F. Salmon and the Encyclopedia was published by the University of Utah Press. ISBN 9780874804256. Archived from [the original](https://www.uen.org/utah_history_encyclopedia/k/KING_DAVID.shtml) on November 3, 2022 and retrieved on June 12, 2024.

## External links

- [Materials relating to David S. King](http://archives.lib.byu.edu/agents/people/2641) at [L. Tom Perry Special Collections](/source/L._Tom_Perry_Special_Collections), [Harold B. Lee Library](/source/Harold_B._Lee_Library), [Brigham Young University](/source/Brigham_Young_University)

Party political offices Preceded by Alonzo F. Hopkin Democratic nominee for U.S. Senator from Utah (Class 3) 1962 Succeeded by Milton N. Weilenmann U.S. House of Representatives Preceded by William A. Dawson Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Utah's 2nd congressional district 1959-1963 Succeeded by Sherman P. Lloyd Preceded by Sherman P. Lloyd Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Utah's 2nd congressional district 1965-1967 Succeeded by Sherman P. Lloyd Diplomatic posts Preceded by C. Vaughan Ferguson, Jr. United States Ambassador to Madagascar 1967–1969 Succeeded by Anthony D. Marshall Preceded by William B. Hussey United States Ambassador to Mauritius 1968–1969 Succeeded by William D. Brewer

v t e United States representatives from Utah Territorial (1851–1895) Seat Bernhisel Hooper Bernhisel Kinney Hooper G. Cannon Caine Rawlins F. Cannon One at-large seat (1895–1913) Seat Allen W. King Sutherland Howell Two at-large seats (1913–1915) Seat Howell Seat Johnson Districts (1915–present) (3rd district established in 1983) (4th district established in 2013) 1st district Howell Welling Colton Murdock Granger Stringfellow Dixon Peterson Burton McKay Hansen Bishop Moore 2nd district Mays Leatherwood Loofbourow Robinson Dawson Bosone Dawson D. King Lloyd D. King Lloyd W. Owens Howe Marriott Monson W. Owens Shepherd Greene Waldholtz Cook Matheson Stewart Maloy 3rd district Nielson Orton C. Cannon Chaffetz Curtis Kennedy 4th district Matheson Love McAdams B. Owens

v t e General presidencies of the Young Men of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints General Presidents/Superintendents Wells (1876–80) Woodruff (1880–98) Snow (1898–1901) J.F. Smith (1901–18) Ivins (1918–21) G.A. Smith (1921–35) Bowen (1935–37) Morris (1937–48) E. Curtis (1948–58) Bentley (1958–62) G.C. Smith (1962–69) Eldredge (1969–72) Backman (1972–74) Schaerrer (1977–79) Backman (1979–85) Featherstone (1985–90) Goaslind (1990–98) Dellenbach (1998–2001) Hammond (2001–04) Dahlquist (2004–09) Beck (2009–15) Owen (2015–20) Lund (2020–25) Farnes (2025–) First Counselors/Assistants M. Hardy (1876–80) J.F. Smith (1880–1901) Grant (1901–18) Roberts (1918–22) Lyman (1922–1935) Morris (1935–37) J. Cannon (1937–45) Giles (1945–48) Stevenson (1948–58) Dyer (1958) G.C. Smith (1958–61) Ashton (1961–69) Hill (1969–71) G. Cannon (1972) L. Curtis (1972–74) Doxey (1977–79) Featherstone (1979–85) Pinegar (1985–89) Holland (1989–90) L. Curtis (1990–91) Dellenbach (1991–92) Nadauld (1992–96) Featherstone (1996–97) Stanley (1997) Dellenbach (1997–98) Hammond (1998–2001) Pace (2001–03) Robbins (2003–04) Burgess (2004–09) Gibson (2009–15) Holmes (2015–20) Corbitt (2020–23) Wilcox (2023–25) Wunderli (2025–) Second Counselors/Assistants Badger (1876–80) Thatcher (1880–98) Grant (1898–1901) Roberts (1901–18) Lyman (1918–22) Ballard (1922–35) West (1935–37) Farnsworth (1937–45) Hatch (1945–48) R. Hardy (1948) King (1948–58) Ashton (1958–61) Scott (1961) Buehner (1961–67) Hill (1967–69) G. Cannon (1969–72) Blackman (1972) Goaslind (1972–74) McKay (1977–79) Pinegar (1979–85) Simpson (1985–86) Rector (1986–88) Harbertson (1988–89) M. Brough (1989–90) Dellenbach (1990–91) Nadauld (1991–92) Kendrick (1992–93) Featherstone (1993–96) Stanley (1996–97) Dellenbach (1997) Hammond (1997–98) Madsen (1998–2001) Condie (2001–03) Hallstrom (2003–04) Neider (2004–09) Ochoa (2009–13) Ridd (2013–15) J. Brough (2015–20) Wilcox (2020–23) Nelson (2023–25) Dixon (2025–) Additional Assistants Roberts (1898–1901)

Authority control databases International VIAF FAST WorldCat National United States People US Congress Other SNAC

---
Adapted from the Wikipedia article [David S. King](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_S._King) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_S._King?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.