Alvin Olin King
Encyclopedia
Alvin Olin King was a Louisiana
politician allied with the popular Long
faction
of the state Democratic Party
.
King was born in Leoti
in Wichita County
in western Kansas
– not to be confused with Wichita, Kansas
. He attended Tulane University
Law School in New Orleans and began the practice of law
. King was elected to the Louisiana State Senate
from Calcasieu Parish in the southwestern part of the state and rose to president pro tempore of that body. When Huey Pierce Long, Jr.
, vacated the governorship for a seat in the United States Senate
, King replaced him as governor for the three and a half months remaining in Long's elected term.
During his brief tenure, he called for a reduction in highway spending, since the Great Depression
made it difficult to finance bonds at an acceptable rate. This was also during the time of construction of the Huey P. Long Bridge
in Jefferson Parish. Signs above the roadway entrance to the bridge proclaim that it was built during the administrations of Huey Long and Oscar K. Allen
; no mention is made of King's tenure.
King had succeeded Paul N. Cyr
of Jeanerette
as lieutenant governor after Cyr attempted in 1931 to take the oath of office as governor when Long did not leave for Washington, D.C.
, to assume the U.S. Senate seat to which Long had been elected in 1930.
After leaving office, King reverted to his legal profession.
Before his death in Lake Charles
, King had become president of the Louisiana Bar Association. He was a Methodist.
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
politician allied with the popular Long
Huey Long
Huey Pierce Long, Jr. , nicknamed The Kingfish, served as the 40th Governor of Louisiana from 1928–1932 and as a U.S. Senator from 1932 to 1935. A Democrat, he was noted for his radical populist policies. Though a backer of Franklin D...
faction
Political faction
A political faction is a grouping of individuals, such as a political party, a trade union, or other group with a political purpose. A faction or political party may include fragmented sub-factions, “parties within a party," which may be referred to as power blocs, or voting blocs. The individuals...
of the state Democratic Party
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
.
King was born in Leoti
Leoti, Kansas
Leoti, pronounced "Lee-oh-TAH", is a city in and the county seat of Wichita County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 1,534.- History :...
in Wichita County
Wichita County, Kansas
Wichita County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kansas. As of the 2010 census, the county population was 2,234...
in western Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
– not to be confused with Wichita, Kansas
Wichita, Kansas
Wichita is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas.As of the 2010 census, the city population was 382,368. Located in south-central Kansas on the Arkansas River, Wichita is the county seat of Sedgwick County and the principal city of the Wichita metropolitan area...
. He attended Tulane University
Tulane University
Tulane University is a private, nonsectarian research university located in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States...
Law School in New Orleans and began the practice of law
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
. King was elected to the Louisiana State Senate
Louisiana State Legislature
The Louisiana State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is bicameral body, comprising the lower house, the Louisiana House of Representatives with 105 representatives, and the upper house, the Louisiana Senate with 39 senators...
from Calcasieu Parish in the southwestern part of the state and rose to president pro tempore of that body. When Huey Pierce Long, Jr.
Huey Long
Huey Pierce Long, Jr. , nicknamed The Kingfish, served as the 40th Governor of Louisiana from 1928–1932 and as a U.S. Senator from 1932 to 1935. A Democrat, he was noted for his radical populist policies. Though a backer of Franklin D...
, vacated the governorship for a seat in the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
, King replaced him as governor for the three and a half months remaining in Long's elected term.
During his brief tenure, he called for a reduction in highway spending, since the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
made it difficult to finance bonds at an acceptable rate. This was also during the time of construction of the Huey P. Long Bridge
Huey P. Long Bridge (Jefferson Parish)
The Huey P. Long Bridge in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, is a cantilevered steel through truss bridge that carries a two-track railroad line over the Mississippi River at mile 106.1 with two lanes of US 90 on each side of the central tracks....
in Jefferson Parish. Signs above the roadway entrance to the bridge proclaim that it was built during the administrations of Huey Long and Oscar K. Allen
Oscar K. Allen
Oscar Kelly Allen, Sr. , also known as O. K. Allen, was the 42nd Governor of Louisiana from 1932 to 1936. He was a key lieutenant in the political machine of Huey Pierce Long, Jr., that dominated the state during the first half of the 1930s...
; no mention is made of King's tenure.
King had succeeded Paul N. Cyr
Paul N. Cyr
Paul Narcisse Cyr was the elected lieutenant governor in the Huey Pierce Long, Jr., gubernatorial administration who quarreled with the self-designated "Kingfish" throughout most of their tenure...
of Jeanerette
Jeanerette, Louisiana
Jeanerette is a city in Iberia Parish, Louisiana, United States. Known as "Sugar City", it had a population of 5,997 at the 2000 census. It is part of the New Iberia Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Early years:...
as lieutenant governor after Cyr attempted in 1931 to take the oath of office as governor when Long did not leave for Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, to assume the U.S. Senate seat to which Long had been elected in 1930.
After leaving office, King reverted to his legal profession.
Before his death in Lake Charles
Lake Charles, Louisiana
Lake Charles is the fifth-largest incorporated city in the U.S. state of Louisiana, located on Lake Charles, Prien Lake, and the Calcasieu River. Located in Calcasieu Parish, a major cultural, industrial, and educational center in the southwest region of the state, and one of the most important in...
, King had become president of the Louisiana Bar Association. He was a Methodist.
External links
- Cemetery Memorial by La-Cemeteries