Cyril King

Cyril Emanuel King (April 7, 1921 – January 2, 1978) was the second elected governor of the United States Virgin Islands, serving from 1975 until his death in 1978.

He also briefly served as acting governor in 1969, following the resignation of Governor Ralph M. Paiewonsky.

King was born in Frederiksted, U.S. Virgin Islands in Saint Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands and grew up on the island.  During World War II, King served in the 873rd Port Company in Hawaii.

After service, he attended American University where he earned a public administration degree.

He worked for Hubert Humphrey, a Senator from Minnesota starting in 1949, black on the staff of a U.S. Senator. He rose through the ranks of that office, eventually becoming his chief of staff. As an appointed government secretary for John F. Kennedy he returned to the islands in 1951.

To support his eventual for governor in 1970 and challenge the Democractic party in the Virgini Islands, he developed the Independent Citizens Movement. Though his 1970 campaign was unsuccesful, but he ran a narrow campaign victory in 1974 to become governor of the islands. At the time of his death, he had been planning to run for a second term.

Commemorative Plaque at the Cyril E. King Airport

Local statute in the Virgin Islands 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 by the Virgin Islands Legislature.